– There are a lot of people who are envious. I have heard that several people lie outside with a light at night and try to catch it, says Bjørn Olav Jondal. He spotted the special butterfly when he climbed onto the roof of a house he was renovating in Eigersund in Rogaland. He thought the colors were nice, and sent a picture to his wife. Bjørn Olav Jondal thinks several butterfly enthusiasts are envious of his discovery. Photo: Private He then showed Little that the butterfly with the name “Utetheisa Pulchella” has never before been observed in Norway. – It was by chance that I saw it. I think the colors were nice and I had never seen anything like it before, says Jondal. He says that it was pure luck that his wife chose to check up on the species, as neither she nor Jondal are particularly interested in butterflies. – It is very nice to have such a discovery. If the wife hadn’t checked the butterfly I would never have done anything more with it, then it would have just been a cool butterfly. I had never thought that it had not been seen in Norway before. This photo was taken by Bjørn Olav Jondal on top of a roof in Eigersund. Photo: Bjørn Olav Jondal / Private The species rarely comes to Norway. Jondal has learned that several enthusiasts now have hopes of catching sight of the African butterfly. – It is special that I go to work and find it, when others are lying outside trying to catch the butterfly. “Utetheisa Pulchella” is found in dry, coastal places around the Mediterranean. In Swedish it is called “Kattunspinnare”, and in English it is called “Crimson Speckled”. Hobby entomologist and butterfly enthusiast Kjell Mjølsnes confirms that it is a species that has never been registered in Norway. Special weather conditions are probably the reason – It is special, but it was very much expected. There has been an extraordinary migration of this butterfly to Great Britain, Denmark and Sweden, among others. It is probably the result of persistent warm weather with lots of southerly winds for several weeks. The butterfly is a bear spinner. The group is quite species-rich with approximately 11,000 species, of which only 28 have been found in Norway. The greatest diversity of species is found in South and Central America. Photo: Wikipedia Commons Mjølsnes explains that there are many butterflies that migrate like birds. If such a move takes place and butterflies are caught in a southern air storm, one can get an insight into southern species in the autumn to northern Europe. – It is rare that the species that come from Africa and the Mediterranean areas come all the way to Norway, but with very special weather conditions it can happen, and it has happened this year, he says. Mjølsnes, on the other hand, does not think that it is a butterfly we will get used to seeing in Norway, but points out that we are increasingly seeing southern species find their way all the way to us.
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African butterfly appeared in Norway for the first time – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
