2014 proved to be the year of the continental crusader following an influx of beautiful and exotic butterflies into the UK.
The Continental Swallowtail, extremely rare Scarce Tortoiseshell and Large Tortoiseshell all appeared in 2014 following an unparalleled series of immigrations and emergences.
And, if any Scarce Tortoiseshells manage against the odds to hibernate and emerge in 2015, they would be the first to do so in the UK in more than 300 years of butterfly recording.
The first striking butterfly emergence of the year took place in late spring when Continental Swallowtail butterflies Papilio machaon gorganus emerged as adults along the South Coast from Suffolk to Dorset.
These adults were the offspring of the 2013 Swallowtail invasion – the largest in the UK since 1945.
The Continental Swallowtail resembles a tropical species with dramatic yellow and black markings and distinctive streamer-shaped tail. It is slightly larger than the UK subspecies Papilio machaon britannicus which is restricted to the Norfolk Broads.
If any surviving Continental Swallowtails manage to successfully overwinter and emerge across southern England again in 2015 it would suggest that the species is attempting to colonise parts of the UK.
But, the unprecedented butterfly immigration of the year took place in July when the extremely rare Scarce Tortoiseshell, also known as the Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell, appeared in the UK for the first time since 1953.
From the middle to the end of July there were more than 20 reported sightings of the butterfly in several counties, mainly along the East Coast centred on Norfolk, but stretching as far as Devon, Tyneside and the West Midlands.
The large and beautiful Scarce Tortoiseshell Nymphalis xanthomelas is found from Eastern Europe to China and Japan and has recently spread westwards towards Sweden.
The butterfly overwinters as an adult but requires very cold conditions so unless the UK experiences a colder than average winter the Scarce Tortoiseshell’s prospects may be bleak.
The less rare but equally beautiful Large Tortoiseshell Nymphalis polychloros, which was lost as a breeding species in the UK more than 40 years ago, was also regularly seen in southern England during the summer.
The butterfly has increased in the Channel Islands in recent years, raising the possibility that it could return to the UK once again.
The arrival of rare tortoiseshells coincided with a good summer for our native Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae.
The butterfly has slumped in number by more than three-quarters since the 1970s but the Big Butterfly Count revealed that Small Tortoiseshell numbers were up by almost a quarter compared to the 2013 Count.
Elsewhere, there was a spate of sightings of the Clouded Yellow Colias croceus from early to mid-November. A mild winter would give the butterfly every chance of surviving into 2015.
2104 gave wildlife lovers a butterfly bonanza – hopes are high that the New Year will bring even more surprises.
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