Spectacular butterflies seen in Rochdale

The Rochdale area is currently seeing unusually large numbers of the Painted Lady butterfly.   

This large, spectacular black, white and orange butterfly is particularly attracted to the flowers of the Buddleia Davidii bush. 

Richard Greenwood, who sent Rochdale Online these photos said: “The butterfly cannot survive a frost, so every year we have to rely on fresh immigrants.  

“Some years very few make it to Lancashire, 2017 and 2018 were years with very few seen.  

“My garden on Friday 2 August had a couple of dozen individuals, nectaring (feeding) on the flowers and flying about.  

“They are so large and fly so fast that at first glance you might mistake them for a small bird!

“Each year the first Painted Ladies emerge in North Africa in late January.  

“They migrate northwards via Italy and Spain and cross the Alps before coming to our shores.  

“Usually the butterflies we see are the third or fourth brood after those emerging in January, but some years many are blown along by strong winds across the sea from Spain and arrive earlier.

“The butterfly lays its eggs on thistles and nettles and in warm weather, the perfect butterfly will emerge from its chrysalis only 28 days after the egg was laid.

“The latin name for this butterfly is Cynthia Cardui.

“Among the Painted Ladies in my garden were a handful of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.”

 

 

The Big Butterfly Count is currently taking place run by the charity Butterfly Conservation.

The big butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 100,000 people took part in 2018, submitting 97,133 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.

The big butterfly count 2019 takes place from Friday 19 July - Sunday 11 August.

Click here to join the count:

• bigbutterflycount.org