HOW DID THIS BUTTERFLY GET TO CYPRUS?
LEPIDOPTERY
AN ICONIC BUTTERFLY
Lepidopterology has existed on the island for many years and today, many people living in Cyprus partake in the study of butterflies. This activity has successfully catalogued 57 butterfly species on the island, seven of which are considered to be endemic species or subspecies in Cyprus. None of these up until a few years ago, however, included a bright orange butterfly with a large wingspan and once a chance photograph of this beautiful and vibrant orange butterfly was circulated it came to the attention of Eddie John, butterfly recorder for Cyprus. This resulted in a lengthy investigation searching for plausible reasons as to how such a butterfly could have arrived in Cyprus!
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The North American Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is an iconic butterfly known for its incredible migration journey from North to South America, taking place over several generations. Millions of North American Monarchs seeking a warmer climate travel south from the United States and Canada to Mexico every year where they usually spend the winter. These butterflies then begin their return journey north in the spring and this journey involves multiple generations as they breed along the way. However, such journeys are not restricted to the North American Monarch. In some ways, this resembles the activity shown by two species of butterfly that can be naturally found living in Cyprus. The Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and the Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta) are often seen crossing Cyprus in spring as they head north on their annual migratory flight, and they are known to reach the UK and Scandinavia. Occasionally, as in 2019, millions may be seen passing through the island.
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A CHANCE DISCOVERY YEARS AGO
FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS
The orange wonder was a North American Monarch butterfly and although this species is related to the Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus), which is also known as the African Queen or African Monarch, and is a regular visitor to the island from mainland countries to the south or south-east, its existence on the island remained unexplained. The fact that the North American Monarch was spotted in the wild initially confounded experts and it caused a stir that left many Lepidopterologists scratching their heads. Experts began to theorise how the butterfly could have arrived on the island and one of the theories put forward was that it had somehow reached Cyprus with the assistance of strong winds. Other theories brought forward by experts trying to explain this phenomenon included species expansion, anthropogenic spread, climate change and wavering water patterns as reasons for a natural migration, but nothing could be proved or confirmed.
Further investigations revealed that the North American Monarch had also been found in Ibiza that same year, supporting further the possibility of a natural migration. However, after another photo had circulated and weeks of investigation by Eddie John, a new accurate story emerged that put all of the previous theories to bed. The truth of the matter was a comical story, which revealed that the North American Monarchs were being imported to both islands by a wedding event organiser, who was purchasing large quantities of the butterfly from a breeder in Spain! The butterflies were being released as part of the wedding ceremonies on both islands and then left to fend for themselves in the wild. Â
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A LESS WELCOME OUTCOME
CYPRUS MILKWEED
The introduction of butterflies that are not native to a specific area or country is generally frowned upon and breeders have a responsibility to ensure that this does not happen. Those who dedicate efforts to distributional research waste time and resources, whilst attempting to find an explanation for the sudden arrival of an unexpected species! Such research is well worthwhile if the appearance is due to a natural phenomenon, but is less welcome if it is found that butterflies have been ‘introduced’ as in the case of the North American Monarch.
Even though an unknown number of these butterflies were released into the wild, they were unable to establish a meaningful presence on the island. This is mainly due to the absence of a very limited supply of milkweed, which plays a crucial role in the North American Monarch’s life cycle. The Monarch’s colourful caterpillars exclusively feed upon it and whilst two varieties of milkweed are present in Cyprus, there is not enough to sustain a large population of these butterflies on the island. Females will only lay their eggs exclusively on this type of plant because milkweed produces a toxic compound that deters most herbivores. However, the larvae of the North American Monarch have evolved to tolerate the toxins that are also transferred to the adults, allowing them some protection against bird attack. It is thought that after their release, many of them, if not all of them would have perished after a short period and any presence of the butterfly in Cyprus would have disappeared with them.
