almost in the UK

[robmcrorie]

Sort of off topic, so hope no-one minds. There were several examples of Map in woods near Montreuil sur Mer on Aug 31st 2012; this is in northern France 15 miles from Boulogne, and, well, you can see the UK from there! Don't know if such sightings have been common or reported before, but maybe worth mentioning. Image on Flickr; search Map butterfly and my username, robmcrorie. HTH Rob

[David M]

To my knowledge this butterfly is not migratory, which is a shame as I'm sure it could survive in the southern regions of the UK.

[millerd]

To quote from Wikipedia:

"...In the UK this species is a very rare vagrant, but there have also been several unsuccessful – and now illegal – attempts at introducing this species over the past 100 years or so: in the Wye Valley in 1912, the Wyre Forest in the 1920s, South Devon 1942, Worcester 1960s, Cheshire 1970s, South Midlands 1990s. All these introductions failed and eggs or larvae have never been recorded in the wild in the UK..."

For some reason or other, the introductions don't establish themselves.

Dave

[Roger Gibbons]

I think I read somewhere that the 1912 introduction was apparently successful but the entire population was wiped out by a collector who did not agree with introductions of non-native species. I don't have any books here (Var) to refer to, so I am just working from a hazy recollection.

[Pete Eeles]

From the species page at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... ies=levana:

This species was deliberately introduced in 1912 when the butterfly became established in the Forest of Dean in Monmouthshire, and Symond’s Yat in Herefordshire. The well-known entomologist A.B. Farn was so opposed to the deliberate introduction of a foreign species that, in 1914, he deliberately collected and destroyed every individual he could find. However, the ultimate demise of the colonies is believed to be the result of additional (and unknown) factors.

Cheers,

- Pete

[MikeOxon]

There were several sightings of Map butterflies in an Oxfordshire wood during the 1990s and for a while these were thought to be 'genuine' immigrants. They were found to be the result of successive illegal introductions, just in time for the records to be excluded from Jim Asher's Millennium Atlas.

Mike

[The Annoying Czech]

I believe Maps are very modest butterflies in some parts of the Central Europe, with literally no biotope management needed. Kind of like Festoons in the south. Some species actually present in the UK are ten times more exacting and complicated than Maps in CE.

Speaking of which, I just uploaded one third generation prorsa Mappie into your gallery