In recent days the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly has been spotted in exceptionally large volumes in various parts of Europe, including Finland.
The insects set off for their journey around February from North Africa, where, thanks to ample rains, they had plenty of food during their larval stage.
The individuals arriving in Finland are not the originals that set out from Africa, though, but rather their offspring.
The Painted Lady butterfly is a regular visitor to Finland, but it is not able to winter in the country.
The migration volumes vary greatly from one year to the next. Last summer only a few individuals were spotted in Finland.
The butterfly will multiply further in Finland and a fairly large number of individuals can be expected towards the end of the summer.
The Painted Lady is a rather large butterfly, with a wing span of 5-6 centimetres.
