Camberwell Beauty

(Nymphalis antiopa)

Did you know that
The Camberwell Beauty is one of only few butterflies that overwinter as adult butterflies. It comes out of hibernation in the spring. Those butterflies that have overwintered are often paler and more tired-looking compared with how they looked before going into hibernation.

Geographical distribution

The Camberwell Beauty can be seen in Europe, North America and Asia. They are more common in warmer countries but can be spotted as far north as Iceland.

Appearance

The upper side of the wings have a brown base with shades of dark red. Along the edge of the wings, there is quite a wide pale yellow band edged with a row of blue spots. The underside of the wings is similar, but the colours are not as bright and there are no blue spots. The male and the female are very similar.

Life cycle

Unlike most other butterflies, adult Camberwell Beauties overwinter. A suitable place is in the bark of old trees, a stump or even a butterfly box filled with bark. The butterflies mate and lay their eggs in the spring and in August the eggs become larvae and the larvae become pupae. A Camberwell Beauty lives for about ten months.

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