Dira clytus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Autumn Widow sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 298 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Autumn Widow in Garden Route National Park 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cape Autumn Widow sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Cape Autumn Widow that you can see in Garden Route National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Mycalesis rhacotis (about 30%), Rainforest Dancing Brown (about 30%) and Painted Lady (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 Garden Route National Park (115 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.
