Axiocerses amanga
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Axiocerses amanga, the bush scarlet, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wingspan is 24–28 mm for males and 25–30 mm for females. Adults are on the wing year-round in South Africa.
The larvae feed on Acacia species, Ximenia americana and X. afra. They are associated with the ant species Camponotus niveosetosus. Axiocerses amanga amanga Range: South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, south-eastern DRC, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini and South Africa, where it is present in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces
Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN 978-1-86872-724-7. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Scarlet sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 24 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Bush Scarlet in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, May–July and September–October, the lowest months. Those are among Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against almost none in May.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bush Scarlet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Bush Scarlet sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Bush Scarlet that you can see in Waterberg Plateau Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Eastern Dotted Border (about 60%), Pioneer White (about 50%) and Junonia antilope (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bush Scarlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Waterberg Plateau Park (10 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.
