White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)
Peak District local information
When to see: July
Where to see: Broad-leaved woodland
Behaviour: Patrol
Wingspan: 54-66mm
Caterpillar food plant: Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Peak District status: The British distribution of this species is mainly restricted to the southern half of England , extending north to the west Midlands . A small colony has become established in the south of Derbyshire in the last few years. There are only two Peak District records. A single butterfly was reported at Litton in the Wye Valley south of Buxton in 1995 and was likely to have been released. A second individual was recorded at Hadfield near Glossop in 2004. Another specimen was seen in Cheshire at about the same time and these may have been genuine vagrants carried north on warm southerly winds. White admiral is a possible candidate for future colonisation, given the continuation of suitable conditions and the presence of sites with adequate quantities of honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), the larval food plant.
