Tarucus thespis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Tarucus thespis, the fynbos blue or vivid blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa, from the Northern Cape, south to fynbos in the West Cape and east to the Amathole Mountains in the Eastern Cape.
The wingspan is 20–25 mm for males and 20–27 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with peaks from September to November and from February to March. The larvae feed on Phylica imberbis and Saxifraga species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Vivid Pierrot sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Vivid Pierrot in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Vivid Pierrot sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Vivid Pierrot sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Vivid Pierrot that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are African Grass Blue (about 10%), Water Geranium Bronze (about 10%) and Geranium Bronze (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Vivid Pierrot is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (85 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.
