Lycaena dispar
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Large copper (Lycaena dispar) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. Lycaena dispar is widely distributed across temperate Eurasia from western Europe to the Amur region, Korea and Manchuria. While it is currently in severe decline in north-western Europe, it is expanding in central, northern and eastern regions.
Several Asian subspecies extend the range eastward. The species has been declining in many European countries mainly as a result of habitat loss. Lycaena dispar is a large lycaenid butterfly with a wingspan of 44–52 mm. The species exhibits strong sexual dimorphism. Males have bright orange wings with narrow black margins and white fringes. The short androconia (sex brands) are located near the leading edge of the forewing. Females have broader dark brown margins on the forewings with a parallel row of dark spots.
Both sexes have distinctive silvery-blue hindwing undersides patterned with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daegu | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 2 | Daejeon | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 3 | Seoul | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 4 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 7 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Copper sighting in Seoul on a given day, based on 111 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 525 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, July and September–October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Large Copper in Seoul on a given day, against under 5% in December to April, the lowest months. Those are among Seoul's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in January.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Copper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 12
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Large Copper sightings, Seoul ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Daegu (South Korea, about 20%) and Daejeon (South Korea, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Large Copper that you can see in Seoul (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Pale Grass Blue (about 20%), Short-Tailed Blue (about 10%) and Holly Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Copper is recorded against all the insects logged in Seoul (111 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.
