European Meadow Fritillary

European Meadow Fritillary

Mellicta parthenoides

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Mercantour National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

10 Verified sightings at Mercantour National Park From 2019 to 2026
97 In all 5 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the European Meadow Fritillary

Melitaea parthenoides, the meadow fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Note that the common name meadow fritillary is also used for the North American species Boloria bellona. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
2 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a European Meadow Fritillary in Mercantour National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a European Meadow Fritillary sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 245th most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a European Meadow Fritillary in Mercantour National Park?

June and July

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Meadow Fritillary in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a European Meadow Fritillary?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Meadow 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.

Is Mercantour National Park the best place to see a European Meadow Fritillary?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate European Meadow Fritillary sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 10%).

Which relatives of the European Meadow Fritillary live in Mercantour National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the European Meadow Fritillary that you can see in Mercantour National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Almond Ringlet (about 40%), Large Ringlet (about 40%) and Niobe Fritillary (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the European Meadow Fritillary sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the European Meadow Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (10 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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