Subtropical Lady
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Lauca National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

6 Verified sightings at Lauca National Park From 2019 to 2026
28 In all 3 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Subtropical Lady

Vanessa carye, the western painted lady, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South America, from the mountains of Colombia and west of Caracas (Venezuela) through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, southern Brazil, and Paraguay to Patagonia in Argentina. It is also found on Easter Island and Tuamotus.

The larvae feed on Achyrocline flaccida and many other species. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lauca National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
~30%
2 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
3 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 La Paz 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~80%
2 Cochabamba 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~60%
3 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~50%
4 Arequipa 🇵🇪 Peru
~50%
5 Santiago 🇨🇱 Chile
~40%
6 Mendoza 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
7 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
8 Lima 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
9 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
10 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Subtropical Lady in Lauca National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Subtropical Lady sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Subtropical Lady in Lauca National Park?

November

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Subtropical Lady in Lauca National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month. That is one of Lauca National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 150 mm in January. August has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Subtropical Lady?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Subtropical Lady sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Lauca National Park the best place to see a Subtropical Lady?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Subtropical Lady sightings, Lauca National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Península Valdés (Argentina, about 30%) and Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, about 10%).

Where does the Subtropical Lady sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Subtropical Lady is recorded against all the insects logged in Lauca National Park (6 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.

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