The butterfly-mad British are celebrating what seems to be a permanent return of this large and spectacular species after Dutch elm disease killed it off from the island.
Unlike the small tortoiseshell butterfly, the large tortoiseshell butterfly hasn’t been a resident of the UK since the 1960s, but after several years of continuous widespread sightings, it’s clearly no longer just a migratory visitor.
Indeed, having been seen in Kent, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Hampshire, and Cornwall, Britain’s Butterfly Conservation has officially designated it as the 60th ‘resident’ species in the UK.
“The signs are really positive, which is lovely,” said Richard Fox, head of science for Butterfly Conservation.
“It is resident and therefore it is another species to add to Britain’s total, which is good news. It’s not well-established enough yet to say it’s definitely back for good and will be widespread across multiple landscapes—we’re still in that zone of uncertainty at the moment, but there are exciting signs.”
Its caterpillars hatch on trees and feed on the leaves of elm, willow, aspen, and poplar.
Lepidopterists, or butterfly biologists, believe that Britain represents the northern-most part of the animal’s range, and with Europe experiencing higher than recent-historic-average temperatures, this makes it an even more ideal home than during the 20th century.
GREAT BRITISH BUTTERFLIES: What Color is it? Photographer Captures Varied Luminescence of One of UK’s Rarest Butterflies
According to the Guardian, sightings have been reported as far back as 2006, but since butterflies can and often are migratory, it wasn’t at the time possible to say the animal was recolonizing its former haunts. Rather, it was more likely a seasonal visitor.
Then, in 2020, sightings of the first wild caterpillars in Dorset confirmed the animal was back and breeding in the wild, and as it spread out across the surrounding, lower English counties, gracefully returned to the resident list.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Efforts to Save Endangered Blue Butterfly Quadruples its Population–but Also Saves a Lupine from Extinction
Butterfly Conservation are urging residents of these areas to log details of any sighting of the large tortoiseshell on iRecord, a citizen-science application which is helping build a picture of the expanding range of the insect.
SHARE This Insect’s Happy Return With Your English Friends On Social Media…