Lola, a six-year-old visiting the Eden Project in Cornwall, spotted a rare Queen of Spain butterfly in the Outdoor Gardens. She was there with her mother, Sarah. The butterfly is rarely seen in the UK.
Migrating butterflies like the Monarch can travel up to 260 miles in a single day. They usually cruise at speeds between 5 and 12 miles an hour, but favourable winds can push their travelling speeds much higher. It is not just butterflies that make these journeys. An estimated 3.5 trillion creatures cross the English Channel to reach southern England each year. These migrations start in spring and peak in late summer, when temperatures are warmer and food is more plentiful.
The Queen of Spain has been seen in England before, but it does not breed here. Sightings have increased in recent years as summer temperatures have warmed. This year has seen more than usual crossings for several species.
Lola keeps a list of butterflies she has spotted and enjoys learning about new species. When the Cornwall County recorder at Natural England confirmed the butterfly was rare to the UK, she was overjoyed.
"It's very exciting to see the Queen of Spain in the UK – it's a beautiful butterfly and a rare visitor to our shores," Richard Fox, head of science at the charity Butterfly Conservation, told the BBC. The charity works to save butterflies and moths.
Fox said butterflies prefer hot and sunny weather because it provides great flying conditions for many migratory species. The Queen of Spain has never bred in the UK because it needs more than nice weather. Like other species, butterflies require high-quality habitats to thrive.
With average summer temperatures in the UK rising, the region could host more favourable habitats for the Queen of Spain and many other species in the future. Julie Kendall at the Eden Project said the incident was a reminder of the role gardens play as "staging posts" for wildlife on the move.
So next time you are outdoors, keep an eye out for something new in the gardens. You might spot a rare visitor too, just like Lola did.
Six-Year-Old Spots Rare Spanish Butterfly in Cornwall