Geometra papilionaria
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The large emerald (Geometra papilionaria) is a moth which is the type species for the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East in and around deciduous forests, heathlands, marshland and in settlements close to woodland. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
This is a large and attractive moth, which, as the specific name suggests, is very butterfly like. It has a wingspan of 50–65 mm. Newly emerged adults are distinctive pale green with slightly darker green and, especially, white fascia, though the green colouration fades after a few days. The characteristic white fascia take the form of three jagged, broken lines of white spots on the forewings, of which two semicircular rows continue over the hindwings.
Bright green, the forewing usually with two lunulate-dentate white lines, the hindwing with one, the lunules in the submedian area of forewing the thickest; both wings usually in addition with a faintly darker green cell-mark and some indistinct white intraneural spots distally to the postmedian
line. Under surface... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Emerald sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 213th most-seen of the 251 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Emerald in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Ecrins National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 160 mm in December.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Emerald sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
7th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Large Emerald sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%), Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Large Emerald that you can see in Ecrins National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Chimney-Sweeper (about 20%), Latticed Heath (about 10%) and Shaded Broad-Bar (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Emerald is recorded against all the insects logged in Ecrins National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
