SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2019Millions of painted lady
butterflies fill our skies
The insects travel at speeds of up to 30 miles on their migration north (Jim Asher)
COLIN DRURY
Millions of painted lady butterflies are bringing colour to the UK in what has been described as a once-in-a-
decade migration.
Hundreds of sightings of the insect – which generally live in North Africa and the Mediterranean – are
being recorded across the country every day. Although thousands fly here every summer, the current warm
weather, plentiful food supplies and good wind conditions as they fly north have all meant a bumper arrival
this time round.
About 11 million of the butterflies were seen in the UK during the last “painted lady year” in 2009 – but
some experts have suggested this migration could be even larger. The sightings are being collated by the