Vespertine is a term used in the life sciences to indicate something of, relating to, or occurring in the dusk. In botany, a vespertine flower is one that opens or blooms in the dusk. In zoology, the
Ipomoea alba is a vespertine plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Like many night-blooming plants, it is moth pollinated.
In the life sciences, matutinal, matinal, or matutine animals are active around morning twilight, when they scan for mates, mate, and forage.
Vespertine (biology)
…limited to dusk rather than full darkness. Unlike vespertine activity, crepuscular activity may resume in dim twilight before dawn. A related term is matutinal, referring to activity limited to the dawn twilight. The word vespertine is derived from the Latin word vespertīnus, an adjective meaning "dusk…
Birds flying before dawn over the Maasai Mara
A praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) blending in with its environment. To mate, they must terminate this pose and take up a more vulnerable one. They only do this during matutinal hours.
A superb fairywren (Malurus cyaneus). This bird engages in extra-pair copulations during pre-dawn and early morning hours.
A blue shark (Prionace glauca). These sharks spend more time at the ocean's surface during matutinal hours - likely for predatory reasons.