Subject: Clouded Yellow & other migrant butterflies in the UK

From: Patrick Roper <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 21:27:13 +0100

As elsewhere in Europe, Vanessa cardui, the Painted Lady arrived here on 31
May and is now abundant everywhere in East Sussex.  Some are very worn,
others much fresher.  There was one in my garden this evening nectaring on
the tiny, greenish flowers of Alder Buckthorn, Frangula alnus, a plant not
normally particularly attractive to lepidoptera (except the larvae of
Gonepteryx rhamni, of course) other than the occasional Holly Blue,
Celastrina argiolus.

If V.cardui species has reached Sweden, Finland and Shetland it seems it
might be worth looking out for it in eastern North America?  Has the
European version ever been recorded there?

The Silver Y moth, Autographa gamma, is also very abundant and today I saw
two Clouded Yellows, Colias crocea (= croceus) flying inland from the East
Sussex coast at Peacehaven.  Have there been any other British or north west
mainland European sightings of this migrant species outside its resident
range yet?

Patrick Roper
--
South View, Churchland Lane, Sedlescombe, East Sussex TN33 0PE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1424 870208; Fax: +44 (0) 1424 870208
Email: [email-masked]

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From: Kars Veling <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 1996 01:30:42 +0200

Hello Patrick and others,

In Holland I haven't heard of any clouded yellows (Colias croceus) yet, nor
>from  the Pale cloude yellow (Colias hyale).
The Painted lady is very, very abundant. More than 50 on a monitoring-site
(one kilometer) and hundreds a day flying north.

Another migrant species is the Hummingbird-hawkmoth (Macroglossum
stellatarum). We've had some sightings the last days.

About the nectaring-plant of your Painted lady. The 'Vuilboom' or Frangula
alnus is a good nectar-source for some species of Dutch butterflies. I've
seen more than 20  Purple hairstreaks (Quercusia quercus) nectaring on one
shrub, and also the rare Heath fritilary (Mellicta athalia) commonly visits
this plant. Other species are Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Gatekeeper
(Pyronia tithonus), Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperanthus), Speckled wood (Pararge
aegeria), Green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) and Ilex hairstreak (Nordmannia
(or Satyrium) ilicis).

The best way to see if the Purple hairstreak is present, is to go to shrubs
of Frangula alnus and give a controlled but firm kick.

Have much butterflies this weekend,

Kars
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Kars Veling & Annette van Berkel
Akkerwinde 10
4102 JJ Culemborg
The Netherlands
tel/fax: (NL) 0345 531689
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