Hamamelistes spinosus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Hamamelistes spinosus, also known as the spiny witch-hazel gall aphid, is a species of aphid that creates galls on witch hazel and birch species. Its eggs are laid on Witch Hazel in galls, where they overwinter and hatch in spring.
They manipulate and live in leaves on birch, with nymphs eating leaves then overwintering on stems. Their life cycles tend to last around 2 years. They create galls by feeding on leaf buds in a way that forms them to support their young.
Hamamelistes spinosus is found across North America, from Mexico to Canada. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 158 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 105th most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and November–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid sightings, Boston has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come New York City (United States, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Aphididae
The closest relatives of the Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid that you can see in Boston (family Aphididae, Aphids) are Oleander Aphid (about 20%), Witch-Hazel Cone Gall Aphid (about 10%) and Sumac Gall Aphid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Witch-Hazel Gall Aphid is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (158 verified sightings), 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.
