Lycaeides idas
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Plebejus idas, the Idas blue or northern blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It belongs to the subfamily of Polyommatinae. This butterfly is very rare with low population densities. This mainly due to human disturbance effecting and creating changes in vegetation. According to the Nature Conservancy, it is critically endangered. It is ranked as Ti, critically imperiled (Zverev, 2021).
In the summer of 2014, a fire in Vastmanland in South Central Sweden affected an area of 13,100 ha. After the fire the Idas Blues along with other species increased in numbers. This is presumed to be because of an increase in larval host plant abundance.
This species can be found in most of Europe (except parts of Spain... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Blue sighting in Kluane National Park on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 39 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.
July
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Blue in Kluane National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month. That is one of Kluane National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 160 mm in October. January–February and November 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 Northern 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 13 parks where we can rate Northern Blue sightings, Kluane National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Vanoise National Park (France, about 30%) and Mercantour National Park (France, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Blue that you can see in Kluane National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Greenish Blue (about 40%), Elkalyce amyntula (about 20%) and Silvery Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Kluane National Park (66 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.
