Butterfly invasion thanks to Indian summer

Charity Butterfly Conservation says there have been numerous reports of newly arrived Red Admiral, Large White and Clouded Yellow butterflies along the south coast, long after butterfly migration from Europe has usually ceased.
Clouded Yellows have been observed in substantial numbers along the coast in Sussex and they’ve also been seen in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and on the Isle of Wight.
The butterfly originates each year from North Africa and southern Europe, migrating north and first arriving in the UK in May or June. Experts believe that the recent sightings are a mixture of migrants and home-grown butterflies that are the progeny of arrivals earlier in the year.
There was a word of warning though from the charity’s Dr Martin Warren. “We have to remember that these are not native butterflies. Their appearance is the result of a rare combination of circumstances. Most British butterflies continue to decline and, until we halt that decline, the vast majority of summers will see very few butterflies in many parts of the country.”