Eulithis mellinata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The spinach (Eulithis mellinata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787. It is found throughout much of the Palearctic region and the Near East though its distribution is rather local due to its specialized larval food plant. In the British Isles it is fairly common in England and Wales but much rarer in Scotland and Ireland.
Its wingspan is 33–38 mm. The forewings are yellow marked with brown fascia and apical streak with brown chequering on the fringe. The ground colour of the forewings is light yellow to honey yellow. The basal field is slightly darkened. The inner brownish transverse line surrounding the central field is sharply bent at right angles under the anterior margin, the strong violet-brown outer transverse line shows a strong jagged bulge towards the margin. There is a brownish dividing line on the apex. On the white-yellow to plain cream hind wings, the transverse lines are almost extinguished. In newly hatched moths, the fringes are alternately light and dark spotted. This feature fades in the case of specimens flown for longer. The hindwings are rarely seen as the species usually rests in a very distinctive and characteristic way with the forewings held out at 90° to the body with the hindwings hidden behind them. Some other members of the genus such as the northern spinach and barred straw rest in a similar way.
The species flies at night from June to August [1] and is attracted to light. The larva is green with white lines and feeds exclusively on currants. The species overwinters as an egg. ^The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a The Spinach sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 602nd most-seen of the 838 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a The Spinach in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate The Spinach sightings, Helsinki has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Moscow (Russia, under 5%).
Same genus: Eulithis
The closest relatives of the The Spinach that you can see in Helsinki (genus Eulithis) are Northern Spinach (about 10%) and The Phoenix (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the The Spinach is recorded against all the insects logged in Helsinki (7 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.
