Common Emerald

Common Emerald

Hemithea aestivaria

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Rotterdam [The Hague]

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

7 Verified sightings at Rotterdam [The Hague]
59 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Common Emerald

The common emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of Ireland and Britain. It was accidentally introduced into southern British Columbia in 1973.

All wings are generally soft grey-green with grey and white chequered fringes and narrow white fascia, two on the forewing, one on the hindwing. The green colouration tends not to fade over time as much as in other emeralds. The hindwings have a sharply angled termen giving the moth a very distinctive shape. The wingspan is 30–35 mm.

It flies at dusk and night in June and July and will come to light. The larva is green with reddish-brown markings and black v-shaped marks along the back. The young larva will feed on most plants but later it feeds on trees and shrubs. The species overwinters as a larva.

^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. Aralia Artemisia Betula – birch Camellia Carpinus – hornbeam Castanea – chestnut Citrus Corylus – hazel Crataegus - hawthorn Diervilla... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
2 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
5 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~10%
5 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 Netherlands
~10%
8 Rotterdam [The Hague] 🇳🇱 Netherlands
<5%
9 Porto 🇵🇹 Portugal
<5%
10 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Emerald in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Emerald sighting in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 241st most-seen of the 355 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Emerald in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

May to July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Emerald in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Common Emerald?

Between 11 pm and 2 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Emerald sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is Rotterdam [The Hague] the best place to see a Common Emerald?

8th of 15

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Common Emerald sightings, Rotterdam [The Hague] ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%), Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Common Emerald live in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

Same family: Geometridae

The closest relatives of the Common Emerald that you can see in Rotterdam [The Hague] (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Small Dusty Wave (about 10%), Single-Dotted Wave (about 10%) and Yellow Shell Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Emerald sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Emerald is recorded against all the insects logged in Rotterdam [The Hague] (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.

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