Speyeria aphrodite
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) is a fritillary butterfly, from North America. This orange coloured fritillary has rows of dark dots or chevrons at the wing edges and black or brown lines more proximally. The ventral sides of the wings are also orange with several rows of white dots. Its wingspan is between 51 and 73 mm.
Aphrodite fritillaries are sensitive to temperature with population trajectories showing declines in response to climate warming trends. Northwestern fritillary (Speyeria hesperis) Breed, Greg A.; Stichter, Sharon; Crone, Elizabeth E. (February 2013). "Climate-driven changes in northeastern US butterfly communities". Nature Climate Change. 3 (2): 142–145. Bibcode:2013NatCC...3..142B. doi:10.1038/nclimate1663.
Parmesan, Camille (December 2006... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Aphrodite Fritillary sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 292nd most-seen of the 461 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.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Aphrodite Fritillary in Denver on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Denver's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 15 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Aphrodite 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Aphrodite Fritillary sightings, Denver ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Aphrodite Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Denver (9 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.
