Zygaena trifolii
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Zygaena trifolii, the five-spot burnet, is a day-flying moth in the family Zygaenidae found in North Africa and Europe. It was described by the German zoologist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783 from the type specimen found in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
The wingspan is 28–33 mm. Adults are on wing from the mid-June to the beginning of August in one generation per year. Ovum Eggs are pale yellow and deposited in several layers to form an irregularly shaped batch. Larvae The larvae feed on the leaves of greater bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus uliginosus) and bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). The species overwinters in the larval stage and may overwinter twice.
Pupa The pupa is shiny, black or blackish-brown and 10–18 mm long. Pupation of subsp descreta takes place in June and July in a cocoon which is spun high on marsh vegetation such as soft rush (Juncus effusus). Pupation of subsp palustrella takes place close to the ground and concealed amongst grass and other herbage in late-April to May. The cocoon is fusiform, irregularly ribbed and ranges from dirty white to creamy-white to bright yellow.
Distributions where known. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Five-Spot Burnet sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 183rd most-seen of the 479 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Five-Spot Burnet in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–May, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra Nevada National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 130 mm in March.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Five-Spot Burnet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Five-Spot Burnet sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, under 5%).
Same genus: Zygaena
The closest relatives of the Five-Spot Burnet that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (genus Zygaena) are Zygaena sarpedon (about 10%) and Zygaena lavandulae (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Five-Spot Burnet is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (23 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.
