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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
The Camberwell Beauty is named after its first ever reported sighting in Britain in 1748 near Camberwell in south-east London. It does not breed here and there is no evidence for a native breeding population. Most sightings are as migrants from mainland Europe.
It is a large striking, magnificent butterfly which in North America is known and the 'Mourning Cloak'. It has also been named as the Willow Beauty and White Petticoat in Britain. It is rarely seen in large numbers even on mainland Europe and sightings are normally brief as the butterfly is a strong flyer and tends to spend much of its life in the tree canopy. It is able to disperse over large areas, often being seen well away from its normal habitat.
When the butterflies emerge during early summer they have a rich deep maroon upperside with rich creamy yellow borders to the edges of the wings. These butterflies hibernate in mid summer until the following spring when they breed and produce the next summer brood. As a result of their long hibernation, the creamy borders of these spring butterflies fade to white and their wings or often very tatty. The undersides of their wings are dark brown, and similar in appearance to the undersides of the Peacock.
Habitat
The Camberwell Beauty is generally found in woodland habitats in mainland Europe but it is also known to breed in a range of other habitats where conditions allow. These include river valleys sand dunes parks, and gardens.
Larval Food Plants
A range of tree species is used as the larval foodplant including Willows (Salix spp) Elms (Ulmus spp) and Poplars (Populus spp). |
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| Distribution |
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The Camberwell Beauty is a butterfly rarely seen in Britain. It sometimes occurs in good numbers (maybe 100 sightings) every few years normally during late summer when weather conditions make it possible for this butterfly to migrate from Scandinavia across the North Sea. They tend to be seen most often in gardens nectaring on buddleias.
It should be noted that there are many breeders in the UK who either accidentally or purposely release Camberwell Beauty's into our countryside. All sightings should be reported to Butterfly Conservation immediately so that the sighting can be confirmed as part of a natural migration event or artificial release.
Recent major migration events to the UK occurred in 1995 (over 500 butterflies seen), 2002 (over 25 records) and 2006 (over 100 records). The vast majority of the sightings are from the East coast of England. |
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| Where to see the Camberwell Beauty |
The Camberwell Beauty is a butterfly rarely seen in Britain. It sometimes occurs in good numbers (maybe 100 sightings) every few years normally during late summer when weather conditions make it possible for this butterfly to migrate from Scandinavia across the North Sea. They tend to be seen most often in gardens nectaring on buddleias.
It should be noted that there are many breeders in the UK who either accidentally or purposely release Camberwell Beauty's into our countryside. All sightings should be reported to Butterfly Conservation immediately so that the sighting can be confirmed as part of a natural migration event or artificial release.
Recent major migration events to the UK occurred in 1995 (over 500 butterflies seen), 2002 (over 25 records) and 2006 (over 100 records). The vast majority of the sightings are from the East coast of England. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Camberwell Beauty is a rare migrant species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  not applicable |
(1976-2004) not applicable |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not applicable (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 not applicable4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Camberwell Beauty can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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60-65mm
