Visitors to the Eden Project are enjoying an abundance of striking painted lady butterflies this summer.
The stunning deep orange and black spotted insects are being seen in Eden’s pollination gardens as well as the outer estates.
For the first time in ten years, a sharp increase in numbers has been witnessed around the UK, with thousands of painted ladies enjoying the recent warmer weather, creating a perfect environment for the species to thrive in.
In 2018, Eden took part in the Big Butterfly Count, a Butterfly Conservation initiative which helps to assess the health of the environment, as a reduction in the numbers of butterflies can act as an early warning for other wildlife losses. No painted ladies were recorded last year.
The current home-grown painted ladies are believed to be descendants of those carried on winds from sub-Saharan Africa, along with newer arrivals from continental Europe. Their delicate but strong wings can cover up to 100 miles each day as they migrate.
It is hoped another ‘homegrown’ generation of painted ladies will be emerging in the UK in September, which will then head south to warmer climates.
Have you spotted any of these painted ladies during your recent visit to Eden? If you were lucky enough to capture one on camera, why not enter Eden’s Instagram/Twitter photo competition? To be in with a chance to win a Canon EOS 2000D DSLR camera visit https://www.edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/instagram-twitter-photo-competition
To find out more on the Big Butterfly Count, which is due to finish on August 11 and how to get involved visit https://www.bigbutterflycount.org/about