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Vanessa cardui
Every year large numbers of Painted Ladies migrate from their breeding colonies in North Africa, heading north through the Iberian Peninsula and France, and eventually, two to three generations later, arrive on the British mainland. Since Sussex has a long shoreline it is inevitable that many pass through the county, sometimes in the thousands and sometimes in the millions. We mostly see them from mid-April, onwards, with peak figures recorded in May or June. Having made land in Sussex, some will continue to head north but others will remain in the county to breed. The males establish territories in a flower meadow or other flower-rich habitat and wait for a female to pass by. Once mated the females search for thistles on which to lay their eggs. The adults that emerge from this breeding cycle then head south in late summer/early autumn, making the journey back to their North African origins.
As for any migratory species we are more likely to see them on the coastal strip or the South Downs. In a “Painted Lady year” you can see them anywhere in Sussex.
Painted Lady nectaring on Field Scabious - photo by Martin Kalaher
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Nectaring on Dames Violet
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Nectaring on Field Scabious
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Nectaring on Field Scabious
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Nectaring on Verbena Bonariensis
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Nectaring on Buddleia
Butterfly Conservation Painted Lady
