In the western part of the Greek island of Rhodes, about 30 km from the capital, there is a unique nature reserve known as the Valley of the Butterflies or Petaloudes. The Valley is home to thousands of subspecies of the butterflies Jersey Tiger Moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria rhodosensis). After the rainy season, the whole valley is a living carpet of these beautiful insects. Although, essentially this is a narrow park, stretching up to the hill along the gorge.
Eucalyptus aroma attracts millions of butterflies into the valley. As caterpillars, they live in the woods and at the end of the rainy season turn into butterflies. They migrate from the forests in search of wet places. Having found their refuge in the valley of Petaloudes, Euplagia quadripunctaria rhodosensis cover the trunks and leaves of trees, shrubs and grass with a thick layer. Here they spend all summer.
End of August – beginning of September is time for pairing. After that, most of the females fly away from the valley to lay their eggs among the shrubs and plants of the rainforest. Sometimes they fly more than 25 km in search of a safe place. In spring, youngs hatch from the cocoons and new butterflies fly back out of the woods in search of the favorable habitat. The smell of eucalyptus and high temperature attracts them to the valley again and the natural cycle repeats.
