Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth

Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth

Hyles euphorbiae

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Vanoise National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

60 Verified sightings at Vanoise National Park From 2019 to 2026
343 In all 11 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth

Hyles euphorbiae, the spurge hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. This hawk moth is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge (Euphorbia virgata), but usually only in conjunction with other agents. The larvae consume the leaves and bracts of the plant. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

The Spurge Hawk-Moth - Fore wings grey, with an almost square olive-brown blotch; at the base another olive-brown blotch near the middle, and a long oblique band of the same colour, commencing in a point at the extreme apex of the wing, and gradually growing wider until it reaches the margin, where it is very broad: hind wings pink, with a black blotch at the base, and a black band half-way between this black blotch and the margin, and a snowy-white blotch at the anal angle: thorax and body olive-brown, with a white line on each side of the thorax just at the base of the wings; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye, and the two meet at the nose; the body has on each side at the base two square black spots and two square white spots, and beyond... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
2 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
3 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
4 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
5 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
6 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
7 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
9 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
10 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
11 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
3 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
6 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%
7 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth in Vanoise National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth sighting in Vanoise National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 308 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth in Vanoise National Park?

August

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth in Vanoise National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Vanoise National Park the best place to see a Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth?

Yes

Of the 11 parks where we can rate Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth sightings, Vanoise National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Ecrins National Park (France, about 30%).

Where does the Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Vanoise National Park (60 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.

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