More than a thousand wildlife enthusiasts have descended on Portland, Dorset, to catch a glimpse of a rare monarch butterfly that was swept across the Atlantic Ocean by Hurricane Isaac. The striking orange, black and white insect, which has a wingspan of four inches, was seen feeding on a buddleia bush in a park off Park Estate Road in Easton.
Experts believe the butterfly was blown off course as it attempted to migrate from North America to Mexico, travelling 3,500 miles before landing in the UK. Martin Cade from Portland Bird Observatory described the butterfly as looking 'very tropical and exotic' and said it 'sticks out like a sore thumb'. He noted that many of the visitors had originally come to see a rare short-billed dowitcher in nearby Weymouth.
The butterfly has lost part of its left wing and will not be able to fly back to North America, but Mr Cade believes it can survive in the UK. 'It feeds on nectar out of buddleia bush so it's not going to run out of food in Dorset,' he said. Another monarch butterfly was recently spotted on the Isle of Wight.
Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring with Butterfly Conservation based in Lulworth, confirmed that well over 1,000 people had visited the site over the weekend. 'It's a real draw because it's a big, exciting-looking thing,' Mr Cade added, noting that many people said they had never seen anything like it before, as there is no larger indigenous butterfly in the country.
