Melitaea athalia
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The heath fritillary (Melitaea athalia) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout the Palaearctic from western Europe to Japan, in heathland, grassland, and in coppiced woodland. Its association with coppiced woodland earned it the name "woodman's follower" in parts of the UK. It is considered a threatened species in the UK and Germany, but not Europe-wide or globally.
Heath fritillaries have a wingspan of 39–47 mm. The upperside is predominantly dark brown and orange brown, with the orange-brown spots delineated by dark brown (along and across the wing veins); there is a white fringe to the wings through which the dark brown extends. The upperside of the body is a similar dark brown to the colour on the wing, and the base of both wings is dark brown. The underside shows bands of red and (off-)white, again with each vein dark brown and each colour delineated by dark brown. The pattern of white spots at the base of the hindwing (visible at rest) is diagnostic for identification.
These wing patterns are very similar to the appearance of Melitaea cinxia. However, the dark brown bands on underside of the wings are more distinct in the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 9 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Fritillary sighting in Triglav National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 100th most-seen of the 260 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.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Heath Fritillary in Triglav National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heath 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.
4th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Heath Fritillary sightings, Triglav National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Mercantour National Park (France, about 30%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 30%) and Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%).
Same genus: Melitaea
The closest relatives of the Heath Fritillary that you can see in Triglav National Park (genus Melitaea) are Spotted Fritillary (about 10%) and False Heath Fritillary (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heath Fritillary is recorded against all the insects logged in Triglav National Park (16 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.
