Painted Lady influx!!!

[Pete Eeles]

From Paul Batty on the ELG list:

"The migration of Cynthia cardui has reached Melton Mowbray (I've just been informed) with around 10 individuals spotted, heading north.... and very strong numbers still flying north through France, 100 per hour near Paris and Nantes. As I type, you should be seeing good numbers in southern England and with luck, we shaould have them here in the capital (Sheffield) by tomorrow."

Cheers,

- Pete

[geniculata]

hi all ,

i can confirm a large influx of painted lady passing over and builing up down here on the coastal cliffs of barton-on-sea.
a short walk this morning down to becton bunny reveiled dozens nectaring up on the swathes of thrift. i lost count after 50 0r so in one small area and after walking a little way along to hordle cliff realized the extent of them probably in to the hundreds.

gary.

[Shirley Roulston]

The garden is ready and waiting and they are coming
Shirley

[sahikmet]

To day at Jersey hundreds of Painted ladies all along the coast. A few common blues and Wall.

Cheers

Sezar

[Trev Sawyer]

Incoming!!!!... Yep, the big invasion is covering the fens now - we drove from Cambridge to Ely this afternoon to photograph some Green-Winged Orchids and on the way there were literally hundreds of Painted Ladies heading West. They seemed to be everywhere and were outnumbering all other species we saw by a massive amount. Lost count very quickly, but since I've been home there have been quite a few zipping over the garden too. It is mind-boggling just how many there must be to create such a density well inland.

Trev

[Denise]

I have counted 5 going strong over my garden this afternoon.
I just want 1 female to leave me some eggs now.

Denise

[Susie]

My god, what a day! I have never, ever, known anything like it. Even my memories of butterflies from when I was a nipper can't match this for shere numbers. Yesterday I didn't see a single one but today certainly made up for it and then some.

I was at Denbies Hillside this morning and thought it would be a good day as I drove there because I kept passing Painted Ladies. Once there I must have seen at least a hundred in total because there was one or two over about every 5 minutes, sometimes more. Occasionally they stopped to feed but on the whole were flying strongly in a westerly direction.

When I got home I was amazed to find the garden chock-a-block with them. There were 12 just on one plant of bowles mauve!!! The rest were mainly feeding on other wallflowers and sweet rocket. The PLs were chasing each other around, spiralling up into the air, etc., it was such a fabulous sight.

I've finally got to the point where I am absolutely sick of photographing butterflies!

[Paul]

First two here in north yorks this afternoon!

[Shirley Roulston]

A courting couple, its a long engagement.
Shirley

[Charles Nicol]

well yesterday i was thrilled to see 2... today i must have seen at least 200 !!

they were all headed due north ( except one which was going the other way ) until late afternoon.

by 6pm some had landed & i was able to take some pics.

there are reports on the Cambs & Essex site of an invasion of Clouded Yellows but i have not seen any yet... maybe tomorrow !!

all in all a fabulous day

[Bill S]

Seen 10+ already today, some during a dampish early walk when they were the only things flying.

Bill

[Jack Harrison]

I’ve had a couple in my garden today in Cambridgeshire and been told of dozens in suburbia of NW London.

But I claim a first. Had an almost certain sighting while watching cricket at Lords – on TV. Maybe we need a new thread; TV sightings.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Very good - definitely a first!

Sitting at home this afternoon, I was counting 8 or 9 per minute coming over. That's around 500 per hour! Fortunately, many of them decided to pay a visit to our garden - where I could easily see 10 at a time!

Cheers,

- Pete

[FISHiEE]

aha just found this thread. saw around 200 today here in kent just around home. Never nseen more than about 20 in a day before. There'll be no nectar left for any native species at this rate!

[Deano]

Also loads of Painted Ladies in this part of Suffolk. I started counting them this afternoon but stopped at 35 as it was getting too tricky to keep up with them. I have never seen this many at this time of year and it is absolutely fantastic! There is a nice bit of red clover near our village, and lots were stopping there to feed. Gorgeous, and what a difference compared to last year when I only saw two, and they weren't until August!
Regards
Deano.

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi all, new to the site but have been reading for a while.
I've spent a lovely weekend in Runnymeade and Windsor and having seen more Painted Ladies than I've seen for years thought I'd check in on the site and I can see I'm not alone!
Between opposite The Runnymeade Hotel up toward Coopers Hill yesterday I must have seen 25+, mostly flying NE but a few stopped to feed long enough for some nice photos. (Plus Small Copper x 2, Common Blue x 2, GV White x 2, Speckled Wood, Dingy Skipper, Burnet Companion, Large White x 5, female Orange Tip laying, and a pristine Peacock which seemed to be flying with me as I walked along the hedgerow for quite a while. Bit early for a new adult I thought?

Then today in Windsor, on the bridge and in the garden of The Royal Oak, another 20+ all flying NW this time.

[Bioboy]

I was out this past Saturday, Draycott Sleights in the Somerset area and saw ten Painted Ladys on the reserve. Then saw at least a dozen, half sat on the road sunning, driving back to Bristol. Yesterday, we spotted at least 20 walking around the city over a few hours moving quickly through the air.

[Pete Eeles]

Welcome Lee!

Very unlikely to be a newly-emerged Peacock - more likely to be one that has overwintered in good nick!

Thanks for the info on the Painted Lady front - I'd already consider this year to be "spectacular" even if nothing else happens. But I suspect (and hope) we've yet to experience the finale!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanls Pete.

I did think it was out of time but it was so bright in colour and with no marks at all. Unfortunately I only have photos of the underside and they're not too clear.

One funny thing about this one though - it kept doing this as it followed me along the hedge - it would land to bask and then seem to fall or tumble off its perch before flying on, quite amusing to watch!

[NickB]

In 2006 (the last good year in Cambs) I saw some very battered and barely-identifiable Painted Ladies at this time of year, so I am not surprised by some of the reports; someone I met said they had seen a lot of big brown moths, all heading the same way. On Sunday I watched a constant trickle of faded Ladies, a few at a time or several over the space of a few minutes, float over the local cemetery. They were very determined, flying strongly and heading generally NNW - next stop Iceland! Fantastic to actually witness one of these events. Can't wait until their babies are out; should be a good show!
N