Alcaparrera (Evagore Colois) butterflies, usually present in arid areas such as Africa and the Middle East, was first observed in the Madrid community.
Specifically, it was seen in Sierra de Guadarrama, at about 1,200 meters altitude, which represents a new signal of the climatic crisis
The record of the species was first documented in this area on June 30, 2025, coinciding with the hottest month of the year in Spain. The observed copy was a solitary, visibly worn and damaged wings, indicating a distant origin, notes Noi.md with reference to.
Usually, these observations are sporadic, without the formation of stable populations, due to cold intolerance and the lack of the main feeding plant.
So far, the presence of this species was exclusive in the south of Spain, in particular, in Oriental and Murcia Andalusia.
June was the hottest month registered in Spain in 1961, with a thermal anomaly of +3.6 ºC compared to the average of the 1991-2020 period. The average temperatures higher than normally registered in July and August, favored the expansion of several thermophilic species.
