Laothoe populi
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The poplar hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and is one of the most common members of the family in the region. It is distinctive due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than (but still half hidden by) the forewings.
Adults may be seen from May to September, and do not feed, not having a functional proboscis, and can vary in colour from grey to yellow. The larva is green, feeds on poplar and some other tree species, and pupates below ground.
The poplar hawkmoth is a large (wingspan 70–100 mm (2.8–3.9 in)), odd-looking species of moth, due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than (but still half hidden by) the forewings. The species lacks a frenulum joining the wings together, and is said to look like a cluster of dead leaves of the main host, poplar.
When disturbed, the moth will suddenly reveal a bright orange-red basal patch on the hindwing, possibly as a distraction or startle display. The wings are grey marked with darker grey... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 6 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 8 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 10 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Poplar Hawkmoth sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 348th most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Poplar Hawkmoth in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Poplar Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
6th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Poplar Hawkmoth sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 20%), Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 10%) and Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Poplar Hawkmoth that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth (about 20%), Small Elephant Hawkmoth (about 20%) and Striped Hawkmoth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Poplar Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour 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.
