Colias croceus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Colias croceus, the clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, the yellows and whites. Colias croceus croceus Colias croceus f. deserticola (Verity, 1909) Colias croceus f. helice (Hübner) Colias croceus f. helicina (Oberthür, 1880)
Colias crocea f. mediterranea (Stauder, 1913) All of these forms are usually considered synonyms of Colias croceus. Colias croceus is one of the most widespread species in Europe. The common clouded yellow's breeding range is North Africa and southern Europe and eastwards through Turkey into the Middle East, but it occurs throughout much of Europe as a summer migrant, in good years individuals reaching Scandinavia. In Asia, its range extends into central Siberia in the north and barely into India in the south; it is not found in Central Asia.
This species is primarily an immigrant to the UK, originating from southern Europe and northern Africa. In the UK they can be seen on the south coast almost every year in varying numbers, and regularly breed there. Occurrence in the rest of the UK varies considerably from year to year, but they are increasingly observed as far north as Dumfries... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Clouded Yellow sighting in Paris on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 309th most-seen of the 916 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.
August to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Clouded Yellow in Paris on a given day, against under 5% in December to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Clouded Yellow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
23rd of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Clouded Yellow sightings, Paris ranks 23rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Jerusalem (Israel, about 20%), Barcelona (Spain, about 20%) and Madrid (Spain, about 20%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Clouded Yellow that you can see in Paris (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Small White (about 20%), Green-Veined White (about 20%) and Orange-Tip (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Clouded Yellow is recorded against all the insects logged in Paris (24 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.
