Pyronia tithonus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The gatekeeper or hedge brown (Pyronia tithonus) is a species of butterfly found across Europe. Given its preference for warmer weather, the restriction of range expansion can be assumed to be due to climate. Colonies vary in size depending on the available habitat, and can range from a few dozen to several thousand butterflies. Named for its rigorous patrol of hedges and woodland rides, the gatekeeper butterfly is a prime pollinator. The caterpillars primarily feed on fine grasses such as fescues (Festuca) and bents (Agrostis), which are common in meadows and roadside verges.
It is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. A similar species is the meadow brown; the two species can be difficult to distinguish with closed wings, since the underwing markings are very similar. However, the gatekeeper tends to rest with its wings open, whereas the meadow brown usually rests with its wings closed. The gatekeeper is also smaller and more orange than the meadow brown and has double pupils on its eyespots.
Two other similar species of Pyronia are found in southern Europe, the southern gatekeeper (P. cecilia) and the Spanish gatekeeper... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 8 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gatekeeper sighting in Brussels on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 134th most-seen of the 337 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gatekeeper in Brussels on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gatekeeper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Gatekeeper sightings, Brussels ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 30%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 30%) and London (United Kingdom, about 30%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Gatekeeper that you can see in Brussels (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Speckled Wood (about 20%), Red Admiral (about 20%) and European Peacock Butterfly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gatekeeper is recorded against all the insects logged in Brussels (21 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.
