Surprise winter visitor flies in from Africa Country Notebook

The large and bright yellow male brimstone, which can be spotted at any time of year if the conditions are right, certainly stands out, and it is thought that the word ‘butterfly’ originally derives from descriptions of this butter-coloured insect.

Large queen bumblebees were also in evidence circling flowers in the garden. Among them was a striking red-tailed bumblebee, fat as a battery, jet black, copper-tipped and fully charged with solar energy.

And then a real February surprise fluttered by and became temporarily trapped under the patio glass. As I went to release it I expected another peacock butterfly, or possibly a small tortoiseshell, a species that also over-winters as an adult. However, its wings opened to reveal a painted lady – something I normally spot on the buddleia in late summer.

The painted lady can’t survive our winters, and instead is a migrant visitor to our shores all the way from southern Europe and north Africa. A mammoth journey on paper-thin wings. Apparently they can turn up at any time, though February is certainly pushing it.

Richard Fox, associate director of recording and research at Butterfly Conservation, tells me that recent warm air and southerly winds have led to a scattering of sightings.

“It is unusual but not unprecedented. We do sometimes get influxes of painted ladies in the winter – there was one in late December 2015 for example,” he said.

“The general view is that at this time of year painted ladies are prob- ably arriving direct from Africa.”

The painted lady is certainly an attractive visitor, with its orange, black and white wings.

While the feats of endurance of all species that face lengthy migrations are a source of wonder, the ability of butterflies to travel long distances is quite astonishing.

In the past I have spotted butterflies from cross-Channel ferries, flying purposefully above the waves giving the strong sense that they know precisely where they are going.

That one survived the journey all the way from Africa to west Devon is remarkable – whatever the time of year.