Pontia helice
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Pontia helice, the meadow white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in southern Africa. Wingspan is 35–40 mm in males and 37–43 mm in females. Flight period is year-round. The larvae feed on Heliophila species, Lobularia maritima, Lepidum capense, Rapistrum rugosum, and Reseda odorata. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Meadow White sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 135th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–June and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Meadow White in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in February, July–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Meadow White 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 4 cities where we can rate African Meadow White sightings, Pretoria ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%), Durban (South Africa, about 10%) and Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the African Meadow White that you can see in Pretoria (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Pioneer White (about 20%), African Migrant (about 20%) and Broad-Bordered Grass Yellow (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Meadow White is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (10 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.
