Platyedra subcinerea
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Platyedra subcinerea, the mallow groundling or cotton stem moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe. It is an in introduced species in North America, where it has been recorded from New England and California, and has also been introduced to New Zealand. The habitat consists of wet meadows, marshes and gardens.
The wingspan is 14–21 mm. The larvae feed on Parietaria officinalis, Urtica species, Althaea officinalis, Lavatera thuringiaca and Malva sylvestris. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton Stem Moth sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 242nd most-seen of the 507 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.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton Stem Moth in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Portland's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 250 mm in December.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cotton Stem Moth 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.
Yes
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Cotton Stem Moth sightings, Portland has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come San Diego (United States, under 5%) and Seattle (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Cotton Stem Moth that you can see in Portland (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Gray Hairstreak (about 20%) and Western Tiger Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cotton Stem Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Portland (20 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.
