Euplexia lucipara
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The small angle shades (Euplexia lucipara) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. As the common name suggests, this species is closely related to the angle shades (Phlogophora meticulosa), and is considerably smaller (wingspan 30–35 mm), but does not especially resemble that species. The forewings are dark brown with a broad, pale subterminal band, wider and paler towards the costa. The hindwings are whitish at the base, graduating to brown at the margins. In the British Isles this species flies at night in June and July, with a second generation sometimes emerging in September. It is attracted to light and sugar.
It is found throughout Europe, in Algeria, in western Asia and through the Palearctic to Siberia, China, and Japan. Forewing rufous ochreous tinged with purplish and mixed with olive brown; median area, a triangular blotch on inner margin near base, and a narrow praesubmarginal cloud deep olive; costa to beyond middle, the terminal area, and the orbicular stigma leaden purple; lines indistinct... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Angle Shades sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 185th most-seen of the 387 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Small Angle Shades in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Angle Shades sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Small Angle Shades sightings, Snowdonia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Small Angle Shades that you can see in Snowdonia National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 30%), Dark Arches (about 30%) and Flame Shoulder Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Angle Shades is recorded against all the insects logged in Snowdonia National Park (12 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.
