Southern California Skys Clouded With Butterflies

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Have you heard about the great migration of Painted Ladies to California? I am not referring to the saloon hall girls of the old west or aspiring starlets, but butterflies, lots of butterflies known as Painted Ladies. Some have been flying through my back yard and appear to be heading North. Wherever they are heading they are sure in a hurry. No leisurely gliding through the air for these Lepidoptera.  A few did rest on the blossoms of my Pyracantha in the backyard but they tend to stay on the very top branches and when I try to approach with my camera they quickly fly away.

Pyracantha blossoms in my yard

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “fall from the sky.” Write about anything that falls from the sky–real, imagined, or idiomatic. Featured image ‘Painted lady nectaring’ (caption: Painted lady butterflies prefer nectar from flowers that are 3-6 feet high.) by Mara Koenig  US Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region via Flickr.

 

16 thoughts on “Southern California Skys Clouded With Butterflies”

    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      They do look a bit like each other. We get Monarchs too but this is the first time I have seen so many butterflies migrating through here. The Monarchs usually end up further up the coast but I have seen them here.

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      There were several butterflies us in the Pyracantha again this morning. Many are just racing by in a mad marathon. It makes me feel a bit anxious to watch them fly by so fast. I feel an urgency. I am glad a few are stopping off for a rest and a drink.

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      It is pretty intense with all the butterflies racing by. Many are smaller, the young ones? And the larger ones stop off for a rest but not for long. Thank you, Laura.

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  5. M. Oniker

    I’ve been to the butterfly groves around Santa Cruz and the most amazing thing was how much *noise* all of those butterfly wings make. There’s a philosophical lesson in there somewhere. 🙂

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      The groves are amazing. Those are the Monarchs. They also come down here but it is further up the coast in Ventura. These Painted Ladies aren’t settling in right now, they are on a mad dash to get as far north as possible.

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