Pseudoaricia nicias
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Aricia nicias, the silvery argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Alps, Pyrenees and from Scandinavia ranging to Siberia and the north of Mongolia. The wingspan is 25–28 mm. The butterfly flies from May to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Geranium species. L. donzelii Bdv. (80 b). Scarcely so large as the smallest eumedon. Above black-brown with dark discocellular spot and grey-brown fringes; in the male the upperside dusted with metallic blue-green, with the exception of a very broad marginal area, which remains black. Underside grey, the ocelli being but little prominent, on the hindwing almost obsolescent; from the base of the hindwing to near the centre of the outer margin a wedge-shaped white streak. In the high Alps and in the north of Europe, as well as in some of the Asiatic mountain-ranges (Ural, Tian-shan). — Specimens from East Russia (Kasan) are smaller, with narrower border, above more greenish and beneath with a very feebly developed reddish yellow band; this is septentrionalis Krulik. — Egg flattened, pure white, deposited on Geranium in July. The larva emerges early in the spring and feeds... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silvery Argus sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 108th most-seen of the 251 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silvery Argus in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. That is one of Ecrins National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 160 mm in December.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silvery Argus 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 Silvery Argus sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Vanoise National Park (France, about 20%) and Mercantour National Park (France, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Silvery Argus that you can see in Ecrins National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Scarce Copper (about 30%), Chalkhill Blue (about 30%) and Damon Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silvery Argus is recorded against all the insects logged in Ecrins National Park (26 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.
