Autumn sunshine could extend Britain’s bumper year for butterflies

Summer is over, most flowers were frazzled long ago and we might expect to see few butterflies beyond September. But it is not over yet.

The reverberations from one of the best butterfly seasons in Britain this century will continue if there is more autumn sunshine.

Thanks to extended warm seasons, more species are squeezing in an extra generation. Small coppers are on the wing again alongside large and small whites, while red admirals and peacocks pop out of hibernation to feed on late-flowering buddleia.

Britain’s two main migratory species, the painted lady and the clouded yellow, are also still whizzing around, pausing on their flight back to frost-free southern Europe.

The most exciting autumn sighting is a third, much rarer migrant, the Queen of Spain fritillary. It’s almost certainly been the best ever year in Britain for this graceful orange-brown butterfly with dazzling panels of silver on its underside.

Like other migratory butterflies, this species can rapidly produce a new generation of adult butterflies in about eight weeks. If we enjoy more sunshine in October, more offspring of the Queen of Spains spotted around the south and east coast of England in August will emerge as adult butterflies, complementing the ginger, cinnamon and gold of the autumn leaves.