Swallowtails in NE England!
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 6:57 pm
Does anyone know if there have been any sightings of European race Swallowtail in the UK recently? I've had two reports of sightings this month, one in Durham City, and one on the Hartlepool coast. In both cases, neither was positively ID'd to species, but both recorders stated that they were familiar with Swallowtails on the Continent. I inferred from this that they were European Swallowtail.
I suspect that they are releases, but any other sightings would strengthen the possibility of them being genuine immigrants.
BTW, I'm aware that there is a butterfly house in the Botanic Gardens of Durham University(the location of one of the sightings!), but they have been contacted and don't rear any swallowtails (they do rear Zebra Longwing, Heliconius charitonius, though, and confirmed that a number had escaped through a broken pane, which explains a sighting in a garden in Shincliffe, Co. Durham).
Thanks,
Dave O'Brien
Butterfly Recorder
BC NE England Branch
I suspect that they are releases, but any other sightings would strengthen the possibility of them being genuine immigrants.
BTW, I'm aware that there is a butterfly house in the Botanic Gardens of Durham University(the location of one of the sightings!), but they have been contacted and don't rear any swallowtails (they do rear Zebra Longwing, Heliconius charitonius, though, and confirmed that a number had escaped through a broken pane, which explains a sighting in a garden in Shincliffe, Co. Durham).
Thanks,
Dave O'Brien
Butterfly Recorder
BC NE England Branch