www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

On my butterflying travels today I was driving on the A57 just outside North Anston (near Worksop) and drove through what can only be described as a "cloud" of Small White butterfly. I've never seen so many all in one place, I'm guessing around 1000+ in 30 seconds of driving. Interestingly, it appeared to be an isolated pocket. Yes there were lots of Small White in the verges elsewhere on my travels today, but maybe one every 30 seconds.

I later passed the same spot on the return journey. There were less on the wing, but very sadly, dead Small White's littered the gutters of the road! Must have been at least 100 dead! The A57 is a busy trunk road with lots of lorries, so that explains how they died. But a very sad end to so many of that "cloud" of Small Whites.

Has anyone else seen such "clouds" of Small White before?

Only once, back during one of the hot summers in the early nineties, when I watched while hundreds and hundreds of Large and Small Whites came in off the sea at Dover throughout an entire afternoon. Many of them stopped at the famous cliffs where lots of wild cabbage grows on the collapsed undercliff, and every plant was covered in them by the end of the day. Quite a few ended up in the water too.

Dave

Interesting, thanks Dave. I hadn't thought about the possibility of them being migrants as North Anston is so far from the coast