Junonia villida
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The meadow argus (Junonia villida) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, commonly found in Australia and Nelsons Island. It is also known as Albin's Hampstead eye in the United Kingdom, where it has occurred only as an accidental import.
The meadow argus has two brownish wings, each covered with two distinctive black and blue eyespots as well as white and orange marks that appear on the edge of the wings. The eyespots are a defense mechanism that are not only used to frighten predators away, but also to confuse the predators into thinking that the eyespots are the target, allowing the butterfly to escape with only a small part of the wing being lost. The underside of the wings are mainly unmarked, except the lower part of the forewing has similar markings as the upperside. The wingspan measures 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in males and 4.3 centimetres (1.7) in females.
As the butterfly rests, it can sit in four different positions depending on the current situation. These positions include: If the sun is shining, the butterfly will open and relax its wings If danger approaches while in the sunlight the butterfly will open its wings further revealing eyespots on its... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Meadow Argus sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 437 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 34th most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Meadow Argus in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Meadow Argus sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Meadow Argus sightings, Melbourne ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brisbane (Australia, about 30%), Sydney (Australia, about 10%) and Hobart (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Meadow Argus that you can see in Melbourne (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Australian Painted Lady (about 30%), Common Brown (about 30%) and Yellow Admiral (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Meadow Argus is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (437 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.
