Issoria lathonia
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Queen of Spain fritillary (Issoria lathonia) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Issoria lathonia isaeoides Reuss, 1925 (Sichuan, China) This migratory species is widespread in most of Europe, in North Africa, Canary Islands, and in the eastern Palearctic realm (Central Asia, Himalayas, Baluchistan, and Western China). These butterflies live in open areas, in dry lawns, agricultural wastelands and in extensive crops at altitudes between sea level and 2700 m.
Issoria lathonia is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 38–46 millimetres (1.5–1.8 in). The wings show a deep orange-violet background, with rounded black spots arranged in regular rows and suffused with greenish gray in the females. The underside of the hindwings is decorated with large pearly nacreous spots and it is crossed by a postdiscal row of black eyespots with pearly pupils. Some pearly spots also appear at the apex of the forewings.
The caterpillar can reach a length of 35 millimetres... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 11 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 12 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 14 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 16 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Queen Of Spain Fritillary sighting in Sofia on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 94th most-seen of the 115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Queen Of Spain Fritillary in Sofia on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. That is one of Sofia's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain against 40 mm in November.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Queen Of Spain Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 21
Of the 21 cities where we can rate Queen Of Spain Fritillary sightings, Sofia ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Ankara (Turkey, about 40%), Yerevan (Armenia, about 20%) and Budapest (Hungary, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Queen Of Spain Fritillary that you can see in Sofia (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Speckled Wood (about 10%), Red Admiral (about 10%) and Painted Lady (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Queen Of Spain Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Sofia (5 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.
