Nature Notes - Butterflies
As this appalling summer finally draws to a close, we can reflect on the fact that its impact will probably be felt again next summer in reduced numbers of insects such as bees and butterflies as the spring and early summer species had a terrible year. Indeed, the apple crop is well down due to the lack of pollinators and my Beauty of Bath tree which normally has hundreds of fruit barely had twenty apples this year.
Red Admiral
Red Admiral
However the upswing in weather during late August and September has resulted in plenty of the late summer butterflies being on the wing, most notably small tortoiseshell, peacocks, large whites, red admirals and the occasional brimstone, normally associated as being the first butterfly of the year to hatch.
We tend to think that butterflies are sedentary local species and, whilst in the main, this is correct, some species do, in fact, migrate. A prime example of this is the Painted Lady a close relative of the Red Admiral and being seen in small numbers at the moment.
The butterflies we are seeing are relatives of migrants from North Africa that have moved north across the Mediterranean sea and bred in Spain or France and then the offspring have come across the English Channel to reach our shores.
Two years ago there was a massive influx of them so much so that they reached the furthest northerly outpost of the British Isles at Muckle Flugga and a few individuals even made Iceland! However, the most spectacular and well-known migrant is the Monarch butterfly of North America.
Come September and October these bright amber and black veined leviathans of the butterfly world migrate all the way down through the United States to winter in just 5 favoured areas of rainforest in Central America. I have been fortunate enough to have been in Texas one autumn and seen waves of them travelling through all day long, best being described as rivers of butterflies. I also saw them going to roost under the leaves in the canopy of tall trees.
Occasionally, they get caught up in a fast moving westerly airstream from around the Gulf of Mexico at this time of year that, quite incredibly, deposits a few survivors onto our shores primarily as you would expect into the West Country.
One such waif turned up at Portland in Dorset for around a week in September this year (see photo). Like all our native butterflies, it found a favoured buddleia bush close to the Portland health centre and fed happily there for a week or more. It attracted lots of interest from locals and visitors from much farther away, many people combining seeing Britain’s second Short billed Dowitcher at Lodmoor with the chance to see such a magnificent butterfly
During October, sunny days will still produce butterflies, Red Admirals in particular but just keep an eye on your buddleia as you might just get something even more unusual such as a Clouded Yellow or, if you are really lucky, a magnificent Monarch.
First Published October 2012 By The Dart