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A Painted Lady butterfly |
Butterflies warming to Heath
SAHARA-like conditions on Hampstead Heath during the recent hot spell have made it the perfect home for a rarely seen summer guest as ecologists report an invasion of beautiful African butterflies called Painted Lady.
Heath rangers have noticed a massive surge in the orange, black and white butterfly over the past two weeks.
And the butterflies are the product of careful husbandry, according to City ecologist Dr Meg Game.
She said: “The Painted Lady is one of the most interesting butterflies seen on the Heath.
“We provide wildflowers and rough vegetation that butterflies need to feed and lay their eggs on, and it’s great when such lovely creatures pay us back in this way.
“It is hard to believe that they have flown from breeding grounds as far away as North Africa.”
The butterflies have travelled as far as the fringes of the Sahara desert to make the Heath their home. With the life cycle taking around a month and the Heath providing the perfect place to lay eggs, more of the brightly coloured insects are expected to appear during the summer months. |
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