Melitaea athalia
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The heath fritillary (Melitaea athalia) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout the Palaearctic from western Europe to Japan, in heathland, grassland, and in coppiced woodland. Its association with coppiced woodland earned it the name "woodman's follower" in parts of the UK. It is considered a threatened species in the UK and Germany, but not Europe-wide or globally.
Heath fritillaries have a wingspan of 39–47 mm. The upperside is predominantly dark brown and orange brown, with the orange-brown spots delineated by dark brown (along and across the wing veins); there is a white fringe to the wings through which the dark brown extends. The upperside of the body is a similar dark brown to the colour on the wing, and the base of both wings is dark brown. The underside shows bands of red and (off-)white, again with each vein dark brown and each colour delineated by dark brown. The pattern of white spots at the base of the hindwing (visible at rest) is diagnostic for identification.
These wing patterns are very similar to the appearance of Melitaea cinxia. However, the dark brown bands on underside of the wings are more distinct in the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 9 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Fritillary sighting in Berlin on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 949th most-seen of the 1065 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Fritillary in Berlin on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heath 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.
Only Berlin, in our data
Berlin is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Heath Fritillary sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Heath Fritillary that you can see in Berlin (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Red Admiral (about 20%), European Peacock Butterfly (about 20%) and European Comma (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heath Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Berlin (5 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.
