Stunning photos show extremely rare butterflies in flight for first time

A rare Continental swallowtail butterfly photographed in Jersey Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters, 58, has captured stunning close-up photographs of two of Britain’s rarest butterflies in full flight for the first time. Invited to a secret location in Jersey, Andrew snapped shots of the large chequered skipper and continental swallow, showcasing their exquisite beauty. The composite photos depict these rarely seen butterflies gracefully taking flight from flowers on the picturesque Channel Island. The large chequered skipper had gone extinct in Jersey back in 1996, but breeding pairs were discovered in the north of the island in 2020, offering a glimmer of hope for this endangered species. READ MORE: Huge snapping turtle with a bite more powerful than a shark found near park [LATEST] A rare chequered skipper butterfly Continental swallowtails are predominantly spotted along the south coast of the UK. However, their numbers have been dwindling in recent years, with only one sighting reported this year. Andrew believes climate change and severe weather conditions may be affecting their population, and he fears that he may have captured one of the last continental swallowtails in Jersey. Describing the rarity of these butterflies, Andrew said: “The large chequered skipper in particular is ultra rare. In 1946 it turned up in Jersey and had a small colony there. The theory is that they came over in hay for the horses. That small colony became extinct in jersey in 1996. “Last year there were about 60 on the island. The French call it Le Miroir as underneath it looks like a mirror. I was the first outsider to photograph them as they keep the location a secret. The three days I was there we saw five or six of them.” A multiple exposure image of a rare Continental swallowtail butterfly Regarding the continental swallowtails, Andrew said: “The swallow tail arrived on the south coast of England but hasn’t been spotted much since. “They breed in Jersey, but only a few. These are in secret locations, only the locals know. These are ultra, ultra rare. Look what’s around us on our doorsteps, I didn’t have to go to Africa to get these. “They’re on the north of the island. It’s a beautiful island but we’re very worried that the colony could die out. I could have got one of the last pictures of the large chequered skippers in Jersey.” This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to readercomplaints@reachplc.com.