Mass Moroccan Migration - on wings.

Morocco's loss is the UK's gain. Hundreds of thousands of Moroccans have begun arriving in the South East of England, but not on planes or tour buses. These tourists are butterflies from the High Atlas region of Morocco.

Unusually high numbers of Painted Lady butterflies have been arriving in the Uk according to reports from around the area. Wildlife photographer Kerry King said enthusiasts recently managed to spot nearly 3,000 in about 45 minutes.

The Butterfly Conservation Trust said the species, which has orange, black and white-spotted wings, was becoming increasingly common across the UK. Moroccan Painted Lady butterflies migrate to Europe seeking cooler temperatures each year.

Mild weather

Mr King said: "In a space of about 45 minutes, we counted nearly 3,000 of these butterflies which is quite incredible.The Painted Lady is not a British butterfly. It migrates to this country. This year, because we've had mild weather conditions and I should imagine the wind has been perfect for them, we have seen this abundance of Painted Lady butterflies which is absolutely just swarming across the South East."

The Butterfly Conservation Trust said that both the Painted Lady butterfly and Humming-bird Hawk-moth were arriving from Morocco and becoming increasingly common in the UK.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news