Dira clytus
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Dira clytus, the Cape autumn widow, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa. The wingspan is 45–55 mm. Adults of ssp. clytus are on wing from late February to April and of ssp. eurina from late February to late March. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including Ehrharta erecta, Pennisetum clandestinum, Stipa dregeana, Panicum deustrum, Stenotaphrum glabrum and Stenotaphrum secundatum. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Autumn Widow sighting in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 25 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.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Autumn Widow in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June to February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Autumn Widow sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cape Autumn Widow sightings, De Hoop Nature Reserve ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Cape Autumn Widow that you can see in De Hoop Nature Reserve (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Cherry Spot (about 40%), Eastern Dotted Border (about 30%) and Vivid Pierrot (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Autumn Widow is recorded against all the insects logged in De Hoop Nature Reserve (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
