Cacyreus marshalli
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The geranium bronze or brun des pélargoniums in French (Cacyreus marshalli), is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The geranium bronze butterfly is native to South Africa. The butterfly was first introduced to Europe in the late 20th century, where it has quickly spread to many southern and eastern European regions. Since its introduction to Europe, the geranium bronze butterfly has become a pest to cultivated Pelargonium and Geranium plant species. Currently, efforts are being made to contain the spread of the geranium bronze butterflies as well as to determine the most effective pesticide for the species.
The adult geranium bronze butterfly's wingspan ranges from 15–23 mm in males and 18–23 mm in females. The wings are brown/bronze with a white border outlining the wings. The underside is a grey-brown with darker bands interlaced with white, creating an intricate pattern. The hindwings contain an eye spot in order to divert predators from attacking. The male and female are similar in appearance.
The geranium bronze was first recorded in regions of South Africa, including KwaZulu-Natal and the Cape Provinces, as well as in neighbouring countries... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Geranium Bronze sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 214 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 21st most-seen of the 311 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May and November–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Geranium Bronze in Cape Town on a given day, against about 10% in February, April and June–October, the lowest months. Those are among Cape Town's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Geranium Bronze sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 23
Of the 23 cities where we can rate Geranium Bronze sightings, Cape Town ranks 16th at about 10%. The best odds are in Lusaka (Zambia, about 60%), Jerusalem (Israel, about 30%) and Turin (Italy, about 30%).
Same genus: Cacyreus
The closest relatives of the Geranium Bronze that you can see in Cape Town (genus Cacyreus, Bronzes) are Water Geranium Bronze (about 10%) and Bush Bronze (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Geranium Bronze is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (214 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.
