Immigrants

Today, like much of the rest of eastern England, we were inundated with Painted Ladies. They've been coming for days, fluttering north across Europe (where they were reported in their thousands on the eastern Mediterannean islands and in eastern Europe), pushed by southerly winds. This is a migrant species in much of Europe, moving progressively north from Africa as spring advances, eventually reaching as far as the Arctic Circle in some places; some years, they've even made it as far as Iceland! Some of them have clearly had an arduous journey; the photo below shows one that's missing much of both hindwings and a considerable percentage of its scales. It was still flying strongly though. This is an incredibly widespread species, found nearly everywhere in the world, though not in South America. Its larvae use a very wide range of host plants, but thistles are a favorite — and we have a corner of the garden full of them. It's nice to know we're doing our part to help ensure a further generation of these beautiful creatures. From one immigrant to another, I say "Live long and prosper"!