Unusual for Tatra butterfly species living - white admiral (Limenitis camilla) has been observed in the Tatra National Park by park employee Jarosław Wenta . This is the first confirmation of the presence of this species in the Polish Tatra Mountains.
"The discovery was accidental. In early August, I was on Toporowy Staw, mainly to check, which dragonfly species could be found. At one point I saw a white admiral, which was a big surprise, since none of the sources would indicate the presence of this species in the area of the Park. Literally an hour later I saw and photographed another specimen in the riverbed of Sucha Woda. A few days later I took another photo in the Bystra Valley. In total, I had four sightings of the species within two weeks" - told PAP Jarosław Wenta .
He explained that the butterfly may live in places where honeysuckle or snowberry (species of shrubs) grows. "White admiral likes warm, but not fully sunlit places. There are many such places are near Bystra Valley and Sucha Woda Valley" - he added.
Wenta said that based on these few observations it would by difficult to assess the size of the white admiral population in the Tatra National Park, but it is certain that it is a settled population. This is indicated by the dispersion of the observation sites. According to Wenta, these butterflies have not settled in the Tatra Mountains by chance.
Wenta believes that there may be essentially two causes of the presence of this butterfly in the TNP: global warming and forest stand changes. "We more frequently observe thermophilic species , which actually is not good news . Rising temperatures can cause trouble for alpine butterflies, accustomed to a cooler climate" - said Wenta and added: "The fact is that in the area of both valleys the stand has thinned, also because of bark beetle, and honeysuckle, which the butterfly likes, received slightly more sunlight".
White admiral is quite common in Poland, but in places where it is found its populations are not large. The closest habitat to the Tatra Mountains are Pieniny Spiskie . Wenta explained that typically this species keeps to the inner forest roads and avoids open spaces. Butterfly lays single eggs on the leaves of the host plant that must grows in the shaded, but warm place. Young caterpillars hibernate singly or in small groups in rolled leaves on the tips of branches .
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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