Box Tree Moth

Box Tree Moth

Cydalima perspectalis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Wadden Sea National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

37 Verified sightings at Wadden Sea National Park From 2019 to 2026
429 In all 5 parks
September Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Box Tree Moth

Cydalima perspectalis, the box moth or box tree moth, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae that feeds on box. It was first described by Francis Walker, the English entomologist, in 1859. It is native to China, Taiwan, Korea, and India; its native status in Japan and the Russian far east is uncertain, some sources saying native, but others saying possibly invasive there. It has invaded Europe; first recorded in Germany in 2006, then Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in 2007, France and Austria in 2009, Hungary in 2011, then Romania in 2012, Denmark in 2013, and Spain in 2014. It has also been recorded in Slovakia, Belgium, and Croatia.

During preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in 2012, it was introduced accidentally from Italy to Sochi, European Russia, with planting stock of Buxus sempervirens. The following year it defoliated local native box populations extensively.

The eggs are 1 mm in diameter, flat, pale yellow-green, and placed in clusters under green leaves without herbivory present. The larvae emerging from the egg are about 1–2 mm long... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
2 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
4 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
5 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%
2 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
3 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
4 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~20%
5 Nanchang 🇨🇳 China
~20%
6 Jinan 🇨🇳 China
~20%
7 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
8 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
9 Shanghai 🇨🇳 China
~20%
10 Dublin 🇮🇪 Ireland
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Box Tree Moth in Wadden Sea National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Box Tree Moth sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 818 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.

When is the best time to see a Box Tree Moth in Wadden Sea National Park?

September

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Box Tree Moth in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and October–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Box Tree Moth?

Between 10 pm and 1 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Box Tree Moth 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.

Which relatives of the Box Tree Moth live in Wadden Sea National Park?

Same family: Crambidae

The closest relatives of the Box Tree Moth that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Garden Grass-Veneer (about 10%), Barred Grass-Veneer (about 10%) and Pearl Veneer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Box Tree Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Box Tree Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (37 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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