Chequered Blue

Chequered Blue

Scolitantides orion

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kyiv

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

8 Verified sightings at Kyiv
137 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chequered Blue

Scolitantides orion, the chequered blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies). It is found in Europe, Russia and east across the Palearctic to Japan. S. o. orion Europe (Greece, North Macedonia and Bulgaria), Russia, Caucasus, central Siberia, Transbaikalia, Russian Far East

In France there is usually a single generation flying in May and June, sometimes there are two generations May then September. The butterfly lives in rocky areas up to 1000 m of altitude, on plants such as Sedum telephium and Sedum album.

Above and beneath rather similar to Pseudophilotes baton but larger and darker, recognizable by the fringes being very distinctly spotted and the white underside abundantly and heavily spotted with black, the hindwing... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
2 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
3 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chequered Blue in Kyiv?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chequered Blue sighting in Kyiv on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 477th most-seen of the 753 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chequered Blue in Kyiv?

May

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chequered Blue in Kyiv on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Chequered Blue?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chequered Blue sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kyiv the best place to see a Chequered Blue?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Chequered Blue sightings, Kyiv ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Prague (Czechia, about 10%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Chequered Blue live in Kyiv?

Same family: Lycaenidae

The closest relatives of the Chequered Blue that you can see in Kyiv (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Common Blue (about 10%), Holly Blue (about 10%) and Small Copper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chequered Blue sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chequered Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Kyiv (8 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.

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