Migrant butterflies

Some butterflies and moths migrate over long distances. Every year we have regular arrivals of Painted Ladies from North Africa/the Middle East and of Red Admirals from southern Europe.

Among the moths, Silver Y and Hummingbird Hawk-moth arrive in the same way from the same regions. The journeys can take anything from a few days to two weeks, depending on the wind.

The migrants breed here and die, but their Danish offspring cannot survive our winter and head south to their homelands in the autumn. Any that stay behind die of the cold.