Vanessa itea
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The yellow admiral or Australian admiral (Vanessa itea) is a butterfly native to Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Islands. The Māori name is kahukōwhai, which means "yellow cloak". The yellow admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini.
The yellow admiral is a medium-sized butterfly, with a variable wingspan of 48 to 50 mm in Tasmania, and 48 to 55 mm in New Zealand. The upperside of the forewings are dark brown to black toward the outer edges, with three small white patches and a wide, bright yellow bar, and dull red nearer the body. The rear wings are dull red with a black border, and a row of black circles with light blue centres near the edge.
The underwings are very different – the rear wing is various shades of brown with cryptic, irregular markings; the underside of the forewing has a blue eyespot on a black background that is highlighted by a yellow area above and below.
Yellow admirals are relatively common throughout their range wherever their food plants occur. They prefer open country, wastelands and gardens where the stinging nettles Urtica incisa... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 10 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Admiral sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 1,035 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 875 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.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Admiral in Melbourne on a given day, against about 10% in February to August, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow Admiral 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 6 cities where we can rate Yellow Admiral sightings, Melbourne has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%) and Sydney (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow Admiral is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (1,035 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.
