The Painted Lady - Focus (August)

Last month I mentioned the Painted Lady, a particularly attractive and interesting butterfly that you may have spotted on your buddleia. This is one of the Vanessid family of butterflies, which also includes Red Admiral, Peacock, Large and Small Tortoiseshells and the Comma. The Painted Lady is the same size as the more commonly seen Red Admiral butterfly, and like that species it is a migrant which does not survive the winter in the UK. It is a strong flier and can hurtle around in warm weather making it hard to get a good look at its markings. But if you are able to study a fresh individual busy nectaring on a flower, you will see a deep orange/pink background colour, patterned with black blotches and spots and black wing-tip dotted with white. If the sun goes in, and the butterfly closes its wings, their undersides are revealed. These are even more beautiful with, as well as a bold pink band with black and white highlights on the forewing, a complicated pattern of varied buff shades separated by veins to create a subtle stained-glass effect on the hind wing. This is then complemented by a series of small blue “eyes” on the rear edge.

As a long-distance migrant that spreads northwards across Europe from North Africa, the numbers we see each year can fluctuate wildly. This spring saw good numbers and some think that this may turn out to be the best Painted Lady summer since 2009, when an estimated 11 million of them reached the UK. While in this part of the country it doesn’t yet appear to be a bumper year, there are still plenty around. What has struck me is the number of individuals that I have come across which are significantly smaller than usual – about the size of a Small Tortoiseshell. It’s possible that this is a result of the heatwaves earlier in the year. This might have caused the larvae to pupate more quickly than usual, preventing development to full size. I think it unlikely that lack of larval food plant is the cause, as the thistles that they favour are so common and widespread. The small Painted Ladies I have seen have still seemed to be strong fliers so it may not affect the ability of the species to continue its northward spread. The butterfly has been recorded in most parts of the UK and, in good years, gets as far north as the Shetland Islands. As one of only a small handful of butterflies recorded there, it must bring an exotic touch of north African colour as it powers across the rugged hills and moors.

Towards the end of summer, the reverse migration will begin. By a series of migrations across multiple generations, the species will head back to North Africa, from where it originated, with each generation contributing to the overall journey. The ability to fly at up to 30 mph and at over 500 feet helps it to cover large distances, to complete this incredible migratory voyage.

​Andrew Graham