Extremely rare butterfly spotted on Paignton Zoo’s nature trail

Paignton Zoo's Clennon Gorge nature reserve has recently witnessed a remarkable event: the appearance of a white admiral butterfly, a species that is very rarely recorded in the South West.

It was an incredible find by Richard Billington, a lecturer at Plymouth University, who managed to capture a photograph as evidence of his discovery.

He commented: “This is my first new sighting of a butterfly species in the UK for at least 10 years. I'd hazard a guess that it recently emerged there and is not an immigrant, especially given how early in their flight season it is.”

Unlike its sun-worshipping counterparts, this black and white marvel prefers the cool shelter of British woodland, basking in peaceful, shady spots. Typically, their presence is observed primarily in southern England, with a few scattered pockets in Wales.

Once abundant during the mid-20th century, the white admiral population in the UK has experienced a sharp decline over the past two decades, largely due to the loss of their natural habitat. Consequently, Butterfly Conservation has designated them as a high-priority species for conservation efforts.

Wild Planet Trust is the conservation charity behind both Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo, with a core mission of helping halt species decline. A key part of their work is to provide safe havens for threatened species. They do weekly butterfly transects to monitor species and ensure that they are managing their sites to help butterfly populations, so to be able to see rare butterflies like the white admiral at one of their reserves is very exciting.

Reflecting on the significance of this discovery, Richard added: "Zoos also have a vital role to play in conserving our native flora and fauna. This encounter reaffirms the importance of their contribution."

Paignton Zoo is one of the dozens of BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums involved in Spotted on Site - a long-running project to find and record native species for citizen science. Richard's observation can be seen here.