Argynnis paphia
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palearctic realm – Algeria, Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan. The silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep orange with black spots on the upperside of its wings. It has a wingspan of 54–70 mm, with the male's being smaller and paler than the female's. The underside is green (verdigris) with a metallic gloss and broad silver bands which are partly curved, hence the name silver-washed. In the male the forewings are rather pointed whereas in the female they are more rounded. On females of the minority valesina form, recurrent in most European populations, the ground color is not fawn but grey with greenish reflections. The caterpillar is black brown with two yellow lines along its back and long reddish-brown spines.
The male possesses scent scales on the upperside of the forewing that run along veins one to four as three distinct scent-streaks. The scent produced from these scales attracts females and helps to distinguish it from other species.
Adults feed on the nectar of bramble, thistles, and knapweeds, and also on aphid honeydew... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 2 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 11 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 13 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 14 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 16 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 19 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 4 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sapporo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 7 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Washed Fritillary sighting in Paris on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 263rd 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.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Washed Fritillary in Paris on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-Washed Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 27 cities where we can rate Silver-Washed Fritillary sightings, Paris ranks 16th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Budapest (Hungary, about 10%), Prague (Czechia, about 10%) and Vienna (Austria, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-Washed Fritillary that you can see in Paris (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Red Admiral (about 30%), Speckled Wood (about 30%) and Large Wall Brown (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-Washed Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Paris (28 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.
