Argynnis paphia
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palearctic realm – Algeria, Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan. The silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep orange with black spots on the upperside of its wings. It has a wingspan of 54–70 mm, with the male's being smaller and paler than the female's. The underside is green (verdigris) with a metallic gloss and broad silver bands which are partly curved, hence the name silver-washed. In the male the forewings are rather pointed whereas in the female they are more rounded. On females of the minority valesina form, recurrent in most European populations, the ground color is not fawn but grey with greenish reflections. The caterpillar is black brown with two yellow lines along its back and long reddish-brown spines.
The male possesses scent scales on the upperside of the forewing that run along veins one to four as three distinct scent-streaks. The scent produced from these scales attracts females and helps to distinguish it from other species.
Adults feed on the nectar of bramble, thistles, and knapweeds, and also on aphid honeydew... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 2 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 11 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 13 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 14 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 16 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 19 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 4 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Sapporo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 7 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 9 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Washed Fritillary sighting in Gauja National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 29 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.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Washed Fritillary in Gauja National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and September, the lowest months. That is one of Gauja National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 50 mm in March. January and February have too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-Washed Fritillary sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Silver-Washed Fritillary sightings, Gauja National Park ranks 12th at about 20%. The best odds are in Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 60%), Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 50%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-Washed Fritillary that you can see in Gauja National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Ringlet (about 30%), European Comma (about 30%) and European Peacock Butterfly (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-Washed Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Gauja National Park (7 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.
