Lycaena bleusei
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Lycaena bleusei, the Iberian sooty copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, subfamily Lycaeninae. It is found in Portugal and Spain, in Europe. The wingspan is 28–30 mm (1.1–1.2 in). Compared to Lycaena tityrus it is brighter above, with stronger yellow variegation, and the hindwing has a short triangular tail and a strong blue sheen on the upperside. The black spots of the forewing stand out strikingly against a bright tawny (fauve) ground colour in the female.
The butterfly flies from late March to November, depending on the location. The larvae feed on Rumex acetosa, Rumex acetosella, Rumex crispus and other docks. Populations of this species are found chiefly in central Spain and Central-northern Portugal, where the species is a specialist of meadows which tend to dry out during the summer, contrary to its sister species Lycaena tityrus Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Sooty Copper sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 187 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July–August
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Sooty Copper in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. Those are among Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iberian Sooty Copper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, in our data
Sierra de Guadarrama National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Iberian Sooty Copper sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Lycaena
The closest relatives of the Iberian Sooty Copper that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (genus Lycaena, Lycaena butterflies) are Small Copper (about 30%), Scarce Copper (about 20%) and Purple-Shot Copper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iberian Sooty Copper is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (187 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.
