Limenitis archippus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is a North American butterfly. It was long thought to be a Batesian mimic of the monarch butterfly, but since the viceroy is also distasteful to predators, it is instead considered a Müllerian mimic.
The viceroy was named the state butterfly of Kentucky in 1990. Its wings feature an orange and black pattern, and over most of its range it is a Müllerian mimic with the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The viceroy's wingspan is between 53 and 81 mm (2.1 and 3.2 in). It can be distinguished from the monarch by its smaller size and the postmedian black line that runs across the veins on the hindwing.
In Florida, Georgia, and the American Southwest, viceroys share the pattern of the queen (Danaus gilippus) and in Mexico they share the pattern of the soldier (Danaus eresimus). In all three areas, the local Danaus population mimic the coloration of the viceroy species. It was originally believed that the viceroy was a Batesian mimic of the three other species, and presumed edible or only mildly unpalatable to predators, but this has since proven not to be true. In an experiment with both the monarch's and viceroy's wings removed, birds... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Viceroy sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 53rd most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Viceroy in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in June and October–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Viceroy sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Viceroy sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%), Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 20%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Viceroy that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Gulf Fritillary (about 50%), White Peacock (about 40%) and Phaon Crescent (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Viceroy is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (26 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.
