Horse-Chestnut Leafminer

Horse-Chestnut Leafminer

Cameraria ohridella

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at London

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

473 Verified sightings at London
31 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Horse-Chestnut Leafminer

The horse-chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) is a leaf-mining moth of the family Gracillariidae. The horse-chestnut leaf miner was first observed in North Macedonia in 1984, and was described as a new species in 1986. Its larvae are leaf miners on the common horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). The horse-chestnut leafminer was first collected and inadvertently pressed in herbarium sheets by the botanist Theodor von Heldreich in central Greece in 1879.

Cameraria ohridella causes significant damage, mainly late summer browning, to the appearance of horse-chestnut trees. Despite the poor appearance of these infested trees, there is no evidence that damage by the moth leads to tree death. Seed weight, photosynthetic storage and reproductive capacity may however be reduced. Trees survive repeated infestations and re-flush normally in the following year. It appears that most of the damage caused by the moth occurs too late in the growing season to greatly affect tree performance. Consequently, there is no reason to fell and remove trees just because they are attacked by C. ohridella.

The larva feeds in a mine in the leaves of the tree, damaging the leaves and stunting... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
2 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
4 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~30%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
4 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
5 Minsk 🇧🇾 Belarus
~20%
6 Sofia 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
~20%
7 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
8 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
9 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
10 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer in London?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer sighting in London on a given day, based on 473 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer in London?

August

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer in London on a given day, against under 5% in December to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Horse-Chestnut Leafminer sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is London the best place to see a Horse-Chestnut Leafminer?

4th of 33

Of the 33 cities where we can rate Horse-Chestnut Leafminer sightings, London ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 30%), Kyiv (Ukraine, about 30%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Horse-Chestnut Leafminer live in London?

Same family: Gracillariidae

The closest relatives of the Horse-Chestnut Leafminer that you can see in London (family Gracillariidae, Leaf Blotch Miner Moths) are Firethorn Leafminer (about 10%), London Midget (about 10%) and Nut Leaf Blister Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Horse-Chestnut Leafminer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Horse-Chestnut Leafminer is recorded against all the insects logged in London (473 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.

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