Lampides boeticus
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Lampides boeticus, the pea blue, or long-tailed blue, is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or gossamer-winged family. The Latin species name boeticus refers to Baetica, a province of the Roman Empire in the Iberian Peninsula. Its common name refers to the long streamers on its hind wings, the male's bright iridescent blue colour, and peas, which is the typical host plant of the butterfly.
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and was initially named Papilio boeticus. This species can be found in Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia. It is also found in the Hawaiian islands. It is also found in the Maldives.In New Zealand this species is regarded as being self introduced as was first observed in November 1965.
This species inhabits the edge of forests, mountain meadows and hot flowery places at an elevation up to 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) above sea level. The wingspan is 24–32 mm for males and 24–34 mm for females. In these small butterflies (although unusually large for their family) the males have a mainly blue violet upper face of the wings with... Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pea Blue sighting in Horton Plains National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 6 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Pea Blue in Horton Plains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, the lowest month. That is one of Horton Plains National Park's driest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 370 mm in October.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pea Blue 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 24 parks where we can rate Pea Blue sightings, Horton Plains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 30%) and Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 30%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Pea Blue that you can see in Horton Plains National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Tropical Fritillary (about 50%), Hedge-Hopper (about 40%) and Indian Red Admiral (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pea Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Horton Plains National Park (9 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.
