Hipparchia semele
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The grayling or rock grayling (Hipparchia semele) is a species in the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Although found all over Europe, the grayling mostly inhabits coastal areas, with inland populations declining significantly in recent years. The grayling lives in dry and warm habitats with easy access to the sun, which helps them with body temperature regulation.
A grayling goes through four stages in its life cycle. The eggs hatch around August, and larvae grow in four instars from August to the following June. By June, the larvae begin to pupate by spinning a silk cocoon below the surface of the ground. The adult grayling emerges around August. The grayling migrates in small groups of two or three butterflies throughout most of August, typically moving southeast.
H. semele engages in cryptic coloring, with their tan and brown colored wings helping them camouflage into their surroundings. The grayling exposes the eyespots on its wings when it believes to have been detected by a predator, but generally keeps them hidden to avoid being seen. Male butterflies are territorial, and engage in flight performances to determine who settles in the best oviposition site. Additionally, the grayling regulates its body temperature by orienting its body and posture to adjust to the heat from the sun.
Grayling populations have recently begun to decline, and while it is not globally endangered, the species is now considered a priority for conservation efforts in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grayling sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 93 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Grayling in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 110 mm in November.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grayling sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Grayling sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 30%) and Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 20%).
Same genus: Hipparchia
The closest relatives of the Grayling that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (genus Hipparchia) are Rock Grayling (about 20%) and Tree Grayling (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grayling is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (93 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.
