Colotis ione
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Colotis ione, the bushveld purple tip, common purple tip, or violet tip, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in the dry parts of Africa south of the Sahara. The wingspan is 45–52 mm. The larva feeds on Maerua, Boscia, Capparis, Ritchiea, and Cadaba species.
Colotis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 17 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bushveld Purple Tip sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 31 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bushveld Purple Tip in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and June–October, the lowest months. That is one of Gonarezhou National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bushveld Purple Tip sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Bushveld Purple Tip sightings, Gonarezhou National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 40%) and Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 20%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Bushveld Purple Tip that you can see in Gonarezhou National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are African Caper (about 40%), Autumnleaf Vagrant (about 30%) and African Migrant (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bushveld Purple Tip is recorded against all the insects logged in Gonarezhou National Park (17 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.
