Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui)
Photographed at Lo Monte Spain, from my records this is the most common butterfly I have photographed here in Spain.
In 2012, this species was recognised as having the world's longest return migration, beating even the mighty Monarch D. plexippus of north America. It flies from north Africa, breeding throughout the summer always spreading northwards as far as the Arctic. It then returns to Africa in the autumn. The reason this has never been recognised before is the return migration occurs at high altitudes out of view of ground-based lepidopterists. The discovery was possible using altitudinal radar.
Numbers are seasonally variable but it is usually common. Occasionally vast numbers migrate, such as in 2009 when hundreds could be counted on northerly courses per hour from west Europe to Ukraine.
Late winter in north Africa is when the northward migration starts. It usually arrives in the UK by late May. Numbers increase during the year, boosted by offspring of earlier arrivals.
Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui)
Photographed at Lo Monte Spain, from my records this is the most common butterfly I have photographed here in Spain.
In 2012, this species was recognised as having the world's longest return migration, beating even the mighty Monarch D. plexippus of north America. It flies from north Africa, breeding throughout the summer always spreading northwards as far as the Arctic. It then returns to Africa in the autumn. The reason this has never been recognised before is the return migration occurs at high altitudes out of view of ground-based lepidopterists. The discovery was possible using altitudinal radar.
Numbers are seasonally variable but it is usually common. Occasionally vast numbers migrate, such as in 2009 when hundreds could be counted on northerly courses per hour from west Europe to Ukraine.
Late winter in north Africa is when the northward migration starts. It usually arrives in the UK by late May. Numbers increase during the year, boosted by offspring of earlier arrivals.