(Linnaeus, 1758)
Camberwell Beauty
Description:
The Camberwell Beauty is an imposing butterfly with its large, deep-brown wings, beautifully edged with wide, pale borders. They are strong butterflies and can fly large distances, although this only happens in some years. They occur near patches of woodland in stream valleys, gullies, along woodland edges and on scrub. Because they are fairly mobile, they can be seen in open countryside far away from their food plants.
The female lays her eggs in large clusters around the twigs of birches (Betula spp.), willows (Salix spp.), and poplars (Populus spp.). In some years, they show a tendency to migrate in summer and autumn.
At first, the caterpillars live together in a communal web, becoming solitary when nearly fully-grown. The caterpillar is easily recognized, black and spiny with a double row of red spots on its back. They pupate on the bark of the food plants. The adult butterflies hibernate in a hollow tree, wood pile or just hidden in the vegetation, and wait for spring before mating.
The Camberwell Beauty has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Coniferous woodland
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Unmistakable