Painted Lady butterfly migration to the British Isles

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The first small wave of Painted Lady butterflies we have seen this year arriving in off the sea from the continent greeted us on the cliffs at Poldhu Cove on the Lizard on Bank Holiday Monday.

Most were showing wear and tear from their epic flight across the Channel, perhaps from as far away as North Africa, although there were a couple that looked remarkably fresh.

As they so often do, immediately upon reaching the Cornish cliffs they settled on the cushions of stunning pink flowering Thrift covering the cliff top to feast on the energy providing nectar. The Thrift at this time of year is a stunning picture but when studded with beautiful butterflies against a back drop of blue sea it is truly a sight to behold.

Hopefully, this will be the start of a major influx and we’ll see lots of their caterpillars later in the year. To help with identifying their larvae images are shown below.

Other Butterfly Sightings

Butterfly Galleries

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