Since early April 2009, observers in southern Europe have been seeing thousands of Painted Lady butterflies moving northwards out of North Africa. This mass migration reached southern England in mid May and I saw my first two on Bunny Moor on 24th May and several more over following days but by the 28th May they were everywhere, with an estimated 30 or so spotted from my car on the drive home from Derby that day, when they were also present in my garden.

A Painted Lady nectaring on Knapweed

This species seems unable to survive frosts and spends the winter in north Africa and the far south of Europe. They always spread northwards to a greater or lesser extent, perhaps dependent upon how many survive the winter and apparently, because of a wet winter in 2008/9 there are massive numbers of them. The last time Keyworth experienced a similar (but less spectacular) invasion was in 1996.

A few weeks have passed now (Mid-June) and the numbers of Painted Ladies have dwindled; I have seen just occasional ones and twos but I'm hoping they have laid eggs locally and then died with the cooler weather of early June so that there will be a major emergence in a few weeks time.

Footnote: The anticipated big second generation never really manifested itself and although this beautiful butterfly was around in good numbers into the autumn, numbers were never spectacular.