Idaea rusticata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Idaea rusticata, the least carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. This species can be found in most of Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa. From the Balkan Peninsula, the occurrence continues across the Palearctic though Ukraine, southern Russia and Asia Minor to the Caucasus and from there via northern Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan to the Central Asian mountains as far as Mongolia. Of all moths in Britain it showed the greatest percentage increase in abundance between 1968 and 2007, and expanded its range beyond the vicinity of London.
These moths inhabit wastelands, open places, parks and well exposed gardens. Idaea rusticata has a wingspan of 19–21 mm. The length of the forewings is 9–11 mm. The edges of the wings are fringed. The basic colour is whitish or cream, sometimes with a very light brownish tone. The upperside of the forewings shows in the midfield a dark brown to red-brown transverse drawing, with a point-shaped black spot, always within the dark field. This brown marking runs from the front to the rear edge... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Least Carpet sighting in Budapest on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 404 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Least Carpet in Budapest on a given day, against under 5% in November to May, the lowest months. That is one of Budapest's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 40 mm in January.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Least Carpet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Least Carpet sightings, Budapest ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 20%).
Same genus: Idaea
The closest relatives of the Least Carpet that you can see in Budapest (genus Idaea) are Portland Ribbon Wave (about 10%), Riband Wave (about 10%) and Small Dusty Wave (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Least Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Budapest (53 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.
