Erebia aethiops
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The Scotch argus (Erebia aethiops) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. In spite of its English name argus, it is not a close relation of the brown argus nor the northern brown argus. English colonies are found at Arnside Knott and Smardale Gill both in Cumbria. This species is found in most of northern Scotland, and in western areas in south Scotland. In Europe and Russia, these butterflies prefer the edge of pine forests and tall damp grassland in hills and mountains up to 2400 m.
Erebia aethiops has a wingspan of 42–46 mm. Antennae are clavate (club shaped). The background colour of the wings varies from dark brown to black brown, with reddish-yellow bands, black eyespots with white pupils and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 5 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scotch Argus sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 183 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Scotch Argus in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scotch Argus sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Scotch Argus sightings, Cairngorms National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 30%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Scotch Argus that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Speckled Wood (about 40%), European Peacock Butterfly (about 30%) and Ringlet (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scotch Argus is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (183 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.
