Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary

Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary

Boloria selene

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Cairngorms National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

83 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
276 In all 9 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary

Boloria selene, known in Europe as the small pearl-bordered fritillary, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found across Europe, Asia and North America, and feeds exclusively on violets in its larval stages. This species prefers wet grassland habitats, where its larval food source, violets, are found. It overwinters in its larval stage, and eggs hatch in the late summer to early autumn. Members of this species are prey for multiple types of birds and other insects.

Due to modern agriculture, most of the grassland habitats that sustain Boloria selene are fragmented or lost all together in favor of farmland. Because of this, the small pearl-bordered fritillary has seen a serious drop in population across Europe, in some places as much as 80%. Factors including limited habitat range, low dispersal rate, and strong food specialization also contribute to population loss. Despite modern conservation efforts, the number of small pearl-bordered fritillaries is still declining. The North American populations appear to be affected in the same way, at least in the continental United States.

The small pearl-bordered fritillary is similar to the pearl-bordered... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
2 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
3 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
4 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
7 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
8 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary in Cairngorms National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary in Cairngorms National Park?

June

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cairngorms National Park the best place to see a Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary?

Yes

Of the 9 parks where we can rate Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary sightings, Cairngorms National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 20%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary live in Cairngorms National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Scotch Argus (about 40%), Speckled Wood (about 40%) and European Peacock Butterfly (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Silver-Bordered Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (83 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.

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