A Very Special Visitor

It seemed that, despite the ongoing fine autumn weather - the mercury hit 16C here at midday - the only butterflies on the wing this morning were peacocks and red admirals, until we noticed this beauty on the michaelmas daisies. It's a painted lady, the only one we've seen of this species this year.

While she's special enough when viewed on her upper wing, her underwing patterns and colours are spectacular: I have always assumed she was given her name for this view of her. It's a difficult view to capture as she was anxious to hold her wings open to soak up the morning's bright sunshine.

Of all the shrubs we've planted the michaelmas daisies are the most popular with the insects. As well as crowds of bees, wasps and hover flies the painted lady had to share the nectar with....

....five peacocks and three red admirals.

She stayed with us for at least an hour, mostly on the daisies but flitting occasionally to the verbena and pansies, if never for long. Unlike the other butterflies, I don't think she overwinters. She's one of a wave of ladies who set off from the North African Mediterranean coast earlier this year, those reaching the north of Scotland being the last of several generations of travellers. So this beauty will die, in this cold country many hundreds of miles from the desert fringes whence her ancestors set out.