Carcharodus alceae
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Carcharodus alceae, commonly known as the mallow skipper, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. The scientific Latin species name alceae refers to the host plants Althaea, which, in turn, are named after the ancient Greek poet Alcaeus of Mytilene.
The background colour of the forewings is pinkish brown, with approximately square brown markings, short, white transverse stripes running from the edge and clear patches on the discal area. Hindwings are brownish or grey-brown, with some prominent brighter spots on the underside. Males are without hair tuft on forewings underside. Antennae have cherry brown tips.
The eggs are yellowish and hemispherical and the surface is covered with elongated warts, connected each other with low ribs. The egg has a prickly appearance. In the course of the development they turn red. The caterpillars can reach a length of about 23 millimetres (0.91 in). They are dark... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mallow Skipper sighting in Izmir on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 50 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mallow Skipper in Izmir on a given day, against under 5% in May and November–March, the lowest months. Those are among Izmir's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 130 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mallow Skipper 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 23 cities where we can rate Mallow Skipper sightings, Izmir ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Antalya (Turkey, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Mallow Skipper that you can see in Izmir (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Red Admiral (about 30%), Painted Lady (about 20%) and Scarce Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mallow Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Izmir (15 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.
