Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 15332_male_Bouche du Rhone_22May09 | 15206_sex?_Var_11May09 | 13740_female?_Vaucluse_23Aug08 |
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| 3924_male_Alpes de Haute Provence_15Aug06 | 0694_female_Var_16May06 |
2003 was an exceptional year for cardui and huge numbers arrived in the UK. We took a short break on the Dorset coast at the very end of September 2003 and they were clearly still arriving and could be seen in numbers on the cliffs. In 2006 in southern France they were present everywhere in huge numbers, especially on buddleia bushes where they could be counted in tens on each bush. They have mass migrations from north Africa in exceptional years and may even be semi-resident in the extreme south of Europe.
All of this was dwarfed by 2009 - the "Painted Lady Year" - when the migration was enormous, with a billion estimated to have reached the UK. I witnessed the start of the migration in southern France with a trail where one was flying overheard every three seconds for hours on end and this was being repeated all across the south coast of France. On my route back to the UK in July I saw hundreds on Buddleia bushes just south of Calais.
15332: a fresh specimen, showing the beautiful fiery orange of the uph. Altitude 35m.
15206: a slightly worn individual, perhaps not surprising for a migrant. Altitude 185m.
13740: I suspect this is a female based on body shape and length, but cannot say I have seen what is clearly a male. Altitude 750m.
3924: I would guess this is male, without any convincing reason. It is rather worn but even so the unh marking seem quite dark and dull. Altitude 1800m.
0694: the body shape suggested this was a female. Altitude 100m.
15332_male_Bouche du Rhone_22May09
13740_female?_Vaucluse_23Aug08
3924_male_Alpes de Haute Provence_15Aug06
