Idaea straminata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Idaea straminata, the plain wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in Europe including West Russia and Balkans. The species has a wingspan of 28–33 mm. The ground colour is pale greyish ochreous with scattered black speckles. Both wings have a conspicuous though small black discal dot. The postmedian line is often rather well-developed, marked with darker dots on the veins, on the hindwing it is not only sinuate inwards between the radials and again posteriorly, but is also more or less strongly angled on the first radial; the two lines or shades which edge the subterminal are usually (especially the distal) very ill developed or wanting. On the hindwing the median shade crosses or follows the discal dot. On the under surface the forewing is a little darker, the hindwing a little whiter, the postmedian line and usually the median more strongly developed than above.
The larva is slightly knotted, dark grey-brown with dark, hourglass-shaped spots on the dorsum. The adults fly in one generation in July [1]. The larvae feed on dandelion and knotgrass. 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 Plain Wave sighting in London on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1394th most-seen of the 1504 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Wave in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
6th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Plain Wave sightings, London ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Prague (Czechia, about 10%), Berlin (Germany, under 5%) and Vienna (Austria, under 5%).
Same genus: Idaea
The closest relatives of the Plain Wave that you can see in London (genus Idaea) are Riband Wave (about 20%), Least Carpet (about 20%) and Small Dusty Wave (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in London (5 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.
