Camberwell Beautys in UK (1 Viewer)

Camberwell Beauties in UK

Looks like there's a bit of a Camberwell Beauty invasion going on. Mostly Norfolk and Suffolk, but records from other places including Kent and Herts too. Love to run into one of those.

There is a large invasion in the Netherlands as well, with one being seen regularly 25 km away from my home. But I hope one will pass me by accidentally... I've seen them in France and the US, and I try not to be too concerned about my Dutch list. Stunning butterfly.
Curiously, its American name (Mourning Cloak) is a literal translation of the Dutch name: a lot easier to remember for me!

Xenospiza said:

Stunning butterfly.
Curiously, its American name (Mourning Cloak) is a literal translation of the Dutch name: a lot easier to remember for me!

Click to expand...

How odd for something so beautiful to have a name that translates to THAT....almost wicked!!

I hope the invasion spreads this way!

Sue

They have reached North Yorks and Cleveland now, with 2 near Whitby and 1 at Harrogate (North Yorks) and another single in Guisborough (Cleveland) all seen yesterday.

Damian

Most seem to be in East Anglia but a couple have been in SE England (e.g. long stayer at Pulborough RSPB) as well.

John

One right in the middle of the Country in my back garden today: http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/106051/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

I was actually uploading shots of Red-veined Darters, taken earlier this morning http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/106048/sort/1/size/medium/cat/500/page/1, to my PC when my wife came in and said there's a 'large brownish butterfly with a whitish edge to each wing' feeding on kitchen scraps in a bucket we keep near to the house ready to take up to the compost heap (which is right up the top of the garden).

My in-built 'radar' immediately thought that it might be one but it had flown off and she had to call me back twice before I finally connected. I've seen a few abroad but this was just about the most unlikely garden-tick that I could imagine!

I was about ready to go out,but knowing that my mate Carl Baggott would love to see it, I took it 'into custody,' without a protest, put it into a box together with some of the scraps from the bucket and a ten-minute car-ride later it was in his safe hands. He released it into his garden and got an open-winged photo: http://www.pbase.com/baggott/image/66219108

I hope it finds its way to wherever it was bound for.

Several European languages have adopted the "Mourning Cloak" translation so I am not sure if Dutch was the original. (Welsh is another one with "Mantell Alar"). It is supposed to represent a petticoat showing under a dark dress. An old name for it in the UK
was "White Petticoat" and another was "Grand Surprise".

There was one in Northumberland two weeks ago, just wish I had seen it.
It's one of those butterflies I'd love to see

Tom