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[feline groovy]

Painting the California skies! Swarms of painted lady butterflies fill the air as they prepare to travel en masse to the Pacific Northwest

• Painted lady butterflies have begun their annual migration in California
• They are filling the sky with their beauty as they head to the Pacific Northwest 
• More painted ladies are making the trip this year because of all the rain in SoCal
• The rains helped plant life thrive in the desert where the butterflies lay their eggs
• The plant life fed more caterpillars, which survived to turn into butterflies
• Now all of those new creatures are on their way to warmer weather 

DailyMail
PUBLISHED: 19:06 EDT, 19 March 2019 | UPDATED: 16:05 EDT, 20 March 2019

The annual painted lady butterfly migration is causing quite the stir in Southern California.

The beautiful insects make their way north each year in the Spring, in search of warmer weather. 

'The painted lady migration is not rare but rather has been taking place for centuries,' President of Butterfly Rescue International, Lepidopterist Rick Mikula told Accuweather.

'In some years, the numbers aren’t as pronounced as they are this year.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1887306/Video-Swarms-painted-lady-butterflies-spotted-S...

The migration is California typically follows a north to northwest pattern, as the painted ladies travel from Southern California deserts to the Pacific Northwest.

Higher levels of desert rainfall has resulted in a larger number of North American painted lady butterflies migrating this season. 

The North American butterflies lay their eggs in the desert. 

'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,' Mikula said. 

Thriving plant life provided plenty of food for painted lady caterpillars, fueling their growth into butterflies. 

'More host plants means more caterpillars that will eventually become more butterflies,' Mikula said. 

'I have been fortunate to witness such massive migrations firsthand over the past few decades.' 

These beautiful creatures call every continent except Antarctica and South America home. 

'The painted [lady butterfly] is also well renowned for its annual migration from the UK to Africa where tens of millions of individuals are actually tracked by radar,' Mikula said.

'On the reverse route they have been shown to fly from Africa as far north as the Arctic Circle.'  

But they're not the only species of butterfly known to cause a scene during migration. 

'I have also experienced massive migrations of snout butterflies in Texas where it was impossible to drive on the highways without using your windshield wipers,' Mikula said. 

Those interested in providing sustenance for butterflies of all kinds, including the waning populatoin of Monarchs, are encouraged to plant milkweed.

[proudlyfromNJ]

Nothing does beat nature. Absolutely beautiful!

[colliemom4]

Love the butterflies and the flowers!

[butterfly123]

[hsawaknow]

I love butterflies an whenever I see them I think of my father.

[blackhole99]

God walks the earth via Mother Nature.IMO

[MoJoV]

Just imagine those delicate works of art on those long migrations.  absolutely wondrous. Thank you @feline groovy .JuJ

[cotton4me]

I can’t imagine what a beautiful sight that must be.  I've never seen a butterfly migration.  I'm on the east coast and look forward to their return in spring/summer.  

[Tinkrbl44]

@feline groovy 

Never heard the term Painted Lady before.  They look like Monarch butterflies .....  which are endangered.

Last year I read an article as to which flowers to plant in your garden that Monarchs are particularly fond of ..... a way to "support" the Monarchs during their trips up north and later back south again.  Great idea, IMO.