David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
______________________________________________________________________
Butterflies 24 - Painted Ladies
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED
LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui
PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY Vanessa cardui (ovum)
- The Painted Lady Butterfly Vanessa cardui
is a powerful migrant from Africa and the butterflies seen in the UK in
early summer have always arrived as a consequence of
this phenomenon. These immigrants then breed and in good years like 1996
and 2003 this butterfly may be one of the commonest species on the wing by
late summer. A very substantial influx during May 2009 indicated that an
exceptional Painted Lady year would be virtually guaranteed and a parallel
event appears to have occurred on the other side of the Atlantic as
well. The photographer observed a constant trickle of butterflies
flying steadily northwards during the late May Bank Holiday weekend and an
approximate count of 100-200 individuals were seen at two different
locations. There was little evidence of feeding behaviour and their
flight-paths were mainly straight and purposeful. If these sightings were
representative of the immigration over the whole of the south of England
then the total number of butterflies arriving must have been enormous.
Unless the native-bred adults migrate in the return direction at the end
of the summer the fate of the butterflies is certain death as they cannot
survive the British winter climate at any stage of their development.
Other migrant butterflies like the Red
Admiral Vanessa atalanta
and the Clouded
Yellow Colias croceus (both
illustrated elsewhere on this site) have begun to show signs of tolerance
of the recent milder winters and it is possible that the warming climate
might enable Painted Ladies to over-winter in the future.
- Two of David’s short films of Painted
Lady Butterflies may be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkW7gVGxsSQ&list=PL4AirIEc0NofhDbxohAG_PoMc7P2iGR5N&index=18&t=0s and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyOuKjkHWWo&list=PL4AirIEc0NofhDbxohAG_PoMc7P2iGR5N&index=67&t=0s.
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