Pontia helice
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Pontia helice, the meadow white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in southern Africa. Wingspan is 35–40 mm in males and 37–43 mm in females. Flight period is year-round. The larvae feed on Heliophila species, Lobularia maritima, Lepidum capense, Rapistrum rugosum, and Reseda odorata. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Meadow White sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 70th most-seen of the 311 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.
January, March–May and August–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Meadow White in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in February, June–July and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Meadow White sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate African Meadow White sightings, Cape Town ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and Durban (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the African Meadow White that you can see in Cape Town (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Large White (about 30%) and Eastern Dotted Border (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Meadow White is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (69 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.
