ONE of the rarest butterflies ever seen in Britain has been spotted in Worcester.

Anne Watson, of Warndon Villages, had a huge surprise back in July when a “striking and magnificent” Scarce Swallowtail butterfly landed in her garden.

She said: “It was an incredibly exciting moment when we realised what we had seen and quickly went on the internet to find someone to report it to.

“Due to its size we immediately wondered what it was.

“It stayed in the garden for five minutes before flying off never to be seen again.

“Over the past few years I have been turning the garden into a bee and butterfly plant haven and all chemicals are banned.”

The charity Butterfly Conservation, which only recently learnt of the sighting, has labelled the news as “truly remarkable”.

Scarce swallowtails are not normally seen in the UK and, when they do appear, it is generally along the South Coast.

There have been odd inland reports in the past but this appears to be the first time it has ever been seen in Worcestershire.

Mike Williams, publicity officer of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation, said: “It was generally a good summer for butterflies with unusually high numbers of some of our regular migrant species like Clouded Yellow but the sighting of a Scarce Swallowtail is truly remarkable.

“I have failed to find any evidence of previous records for the county, the nearest I can find is one in a garden near Ross-on-Wye but that was back in 1984.

“It just goes to show what can turn up in gardens especially if, like Anne, you grow plants that are attractive to butterflies."

Tom Brereton, a scientist working for the national charity Butterfly Conservation, added: “The Scarce Swallowtail is an incredibly rare migrant to the UK and does not reach our shores every year.

“The nearest regular breeding sites for this butterfly are in southern Normandy, France, including areas of chalk grassland and scrub along the River Seine near Rouen.

“The butterfly lays its eggs on blackthorn and plum bushes, with caterpillars feeding on the leaves thereafter.”

Anne Watson is keeping her fingers crossed for a return visit in 2015 and next time she will have her camera ready.