Junonia hierta
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Junonia hierta, the yellow pansy, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in the Palaeotropics. It is usually seen in open scrub and grassland habitats. The male upper side is bright yellow. The costa of the forewing has a broad triangular jet-black projection downwards at the discocellulars, and the dorsum has a triangular projection upwards near the tornus; this black margin narrows near the middle of the termen and bears on the apex two short transverse preapical white streaks crossed by the black veins. Below these is an obscure ocellus that is sometimes absent. The anterior half and the terminal margin of the hindwing is black, and the dorsum is broadly shaded with brown while the anterior black area has a large brilliant blue spot. The cilia of both forewings and hindwings are white alternated with brown.
The underside of the forewing is pale yellow. The cell is crossed by three laterally black-margined orange-yellow bars, beyond that is a short, broad, irregular jet-black oblique band from costa to base of vein 4. The hindwing is greyish yellow, and in the dry season its form is strongly irrorated (sprinkled) with dusky scales. With a prominent transverse... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 3 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 4 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Cairo | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 7 | Jaipur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 9 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Pansy sighting in Lusaka on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 72 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Pansy in Lusaka on a given day, against under 5% in October and November, the lowest months. That is one of Lusaka's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against almost none in August.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow Pansy sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Yellow Pansy sightings, Lusaka has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 30%) and Accra (Ghana, about 30%).
Same genus: Junonia
The closest relatives of the Yellow Pansy that you can see in Lusaka (genus Junonia, Buckeyes & Pansies) are Spotted Brown Pansy (about 50%), Dark Blue Pansy (about 30%) and Soldier Commodore (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow Pansy is recorded against all the insects logged in Lusaka (34 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.
