Acleris forsskaleana
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Acleris forsskaleana, the maple leaftier moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Europe and North America in woodlands and gardens. The wingspan is 12–17 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is yellowish underlying a reticulated darker pattern and a greyish suffusion across the disc.It has a dark, V-shaped transverse line and dark outer edge, otherwise numerous, narrow, brown transverse lines. Together with the brownish wing veins, these form the net pattern. The larva is yellowish, partially transparent so that the dark greenish intestines shine through. The head capsule is barely darker than the rest of the larva.
Julius von Kennel provides a full description. Meyrick -Forewings suboblong, 7 to apex; pale yellowish, sharply reticulated with ferruginous orange, somewhat mixed with dark fuscous; a dark fuscous oblique stria from middle of costa, meeting a variable sometimes obsolete fuscous dorsal blotch, containing two small black scale tufts; a dark fuscous terminal streak. Hindwings whitishyellowish, more or less fuscous-tinged posteriorly.Larva pale yellow; head and plate of 2 greenish-tinged
The moth flies from June to September from dusk onwards. The main food plants in Europe are field maple (Acer campestre) and sycamore (A. pseudoplatanus); the larvae can also be found on Norway maple (A. platanoides). The name honours Peter Forsskål. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Maple Leaftier Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 405th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Maple Leaftier Moth in London on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Maple Leaftier Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 21 cities where we can rate Maple Leaftier Moth sightings, London ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Maple Leaftier Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (68 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.
