The World of Minibeasts

Aristocrats -  This Way or That Way: The Camberwell Beauty

Whereas most butterflies hibernate in the form of  their caterpillar or of their chrysalis, few get through the winter as butterflies.  Amongst them is the Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa). It is a rather rare species. Because they do not need to mature into a pupae and to hatch, but can just fly off from their hide, they belong to the species very early to be seen in spring. 

In spring, the hibernating Camberwell Beauties have had quite a long lifetime (or lifespan?). Many of their scales have worn off and their colours have gotten weaker. Still: the Beauty remains a beauty, at least from the butterflies' point of view. Each spring, their call and mating takes place with passion. 

In the picture on the left the female is in front. The male approaches from behind, keeping his antennae in touch with her wings. Scents released by the female also play a part in their communication, the male receiving them via his antennae. 

The yellow margin in specimen that have hibernated has nearly turned to white, whereas this year's specimen in the picture on the right shows a warm yellow margin and a band of striking blue spots on a brown velvet background, although even this specimen did not a just hatch.

So, in Camberwell Beauties variations in colour intensity do not indicate a different sex or species. This may not be true for other species or families, such as the blues, where small colour variations already may indicate a different species.

Photographs by José Verkest, Text by Maria Pfeifer