Abstract
August 1947 was marked by the large-scale immigration of certain Continental butterflies which are infrequent visitors in the British Isles. Most striking was the extensive arrival of the clouded yellow (Colias croceus Fourcrory), which ranged from southern England to Scotland, and included specimens of the pale greenish-white female variety helice, and a few of the scarcer pale clouded yellow (Colias hyales Linn.). Even more interesting was the appearance in the north of England of the Camberwell beauty (Nymphalis antiopa, Linn.) after an absence of many years. At a meeting of the Merseyside Naturalists' Association on August 24, A. J. Cobham reported the appearance of this insect at Maghull, Lancashire, the previous week, and afterwards a specimen was caught at Birkenhead, Cheshire. This insect migrates across the North Sea from its haunts in northern Europe, from Scandinavia to Germany and Holland, whereas the clouded yellow's migration route is from North Africa across France. 1941 was the last notable ‘clouded yellow’ year, the greatest immigration since 1877, while 1917 was remarkable for Camberwell beauties: the Camberwell beauty was first recorded in Cool Arbour Lane, Camberwell, London, in August 1748. There has also been a marked invasion of death's head hawk moths (Acherontia atropos Linn.) in the north of England, and numerous larvæ of these Continental moths were found in potato fields during August.
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Immigration into Britain of Continental Butterflies. Nature 160, 359 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160359b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160359b0