Thymelicus acteon
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The Lulworth skipper (Thymelicus acteon) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Its name is derived from Lulworth Cove in the county of Dorset, England, where the first specimens in Great Britain were collected in 1832 by English naturalist James Charles Dale.
The species occurs locally across Central Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, where its population is considered stable. Its numbers have declined in Northern Europe, leading to its European status of "vulnerable". Its range in Britain is restricted to the south coast of Dorset, however it is locally abundant and its numbers currently are perhaps at their greatest since its discovery there.
With a wingspan of 24 to 28 millimetres, females being larger than males, the Lulworth skipper is a small butterfly, the smallest member of the genus Thymelicus in Europe and among the smallest butterflies in Britain. Aside from the size difference, the sexes are distinguished by females having a distinct circle of golden marks on each forewing. Due to their likeness to the rays around the eye of a peacock's feather, these are often known as "sun-ray" markings, and they can faintly appear on males.
The Lulworth skipper was... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lulworth Skipper sighting in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lulworth Skipper in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lulworth Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Lulworth Skipper sightings, Aigüestortes National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lulworth Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Aigüestortes National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
