![Brown orange and white painted lady butterfly viewed from above. [Image source/Barnes Dr Thomas G, Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/3/21/660x290/b_502x220x82/brown-orange-and-white-painted-lady-butterfly-viewed-from-above-image-sourcebarnes-dr-thomas-g-wikimedia-commons_2231671.jpg "Brown orange and white painted lady butterfly viewed from above. [Image source/Barnes Dr Thomas G, Wikimedia Commons]")
This migration of painted lady Butterflies is a regular feature and experts attribute the increase this year to higher levels of rainfall in the deserts of Southern California. These butterflies lay their eggs in the desert. The rainfall helped plants to survive and with more greenery around, there was an abundance of food for the insects. In due course of time, they grew into butterflies and are now flying off in search of warmer weather.
Clouds of butterflies migrating through Southern California are captivating onlookers who are relishing the otherworldly spectacle. “I just sat and watched them for like 2 hours. I felt like I was in a Disney movie.” https://t.co/M2DBSnEFPM
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 18, 2019
Daily Mail UK quotes an authority on such matters.
He is the President of Butterfly Rescue International, Lepidopterist Rick Mikula. In his opinion, more numbers of plants translate into more caterpillars and consequently more of the winged beauties. He says that “This year’s huge increase can be attributed to the California rains which help to increase the plant life in an otherwise sparse overwintering Environment.”
Butterflies travel around the world
Increase in the population of the painted lady butterfly is a positive indication that greenery can help them to thrive. Scanty rainfall led to drought conditions in some parts of California. To make matters worse, wildfires destroyed vast expanses of greenery but the situation appears to have improved.
Migration of millions of the butterflies shows that all is not lost. Rick Mikula has been observing this phenomenon for a long time and has no hesitation in admitting that it is more pronounced this year.
Some would be terrified of a swarm of millions of insects, except this one happens to be beautiful butterflies called painted ladies.https://t.co/KxU3cFvR6F
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) March 19, 2019
These beautiful creatures are visible in most parts of the world and are known to migrate from the UK to Africa and from Africa to the Arctic Circle.
Daily Mail UK says radar tracking has established this. Another type of insects that undertake large-scale migration are the snout butterflies in Texas. It seems during migration season, drivers on highways are forced to use windshield wipers.
Painted lady butterflies migrate from the Mojave Desert
According to Boston 25 News, every year the colorful insects move out from the Mojave Desert to Oregon in the Pacific Northwest.
However, this year, the sheer numbers are mind-blowing. A professor of the University of California estimates the population to be nearly a billion. This species of butterfly has the ability to move at speeds of around 25 mph, at times nonstop, over mountains, seas, and deserts. They have a presence on every continent except Antarctica and South America.
There is a decline in insect populations around the world because of reasons like the use of insecticides and loss of the green cover that destroys the environment. In this case, there is a revival probably because of an abundant food supply in the desert where they lay their eggs, thanks to plenty of rainfall.
