{"id":9883,"date":"2017-10-03T15:27:55","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T19:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=9883"},"modified":"2017-10-03T15:28:34","modified_gmt":"2017-10-03T19:28:34","slug":"a-butterfly-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-butterfly-boom\/","title":{"rendered":"A Butterfly Boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bees swarm. Locusts swarm. Butterflies, not so much. But at the moment, many thousands of painted lady butterflies are filling gardens and roadside stands of fall wildflowers at the end of a long flight from Southwestern deserts.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Painted Lady \u00a9 Gillian Henry<\/p><\/div>\n

There are two species of very similar \u201cLady butterflies\u201d that occur in Massachusetts. The American lady is a common resident species that flies throughout the warm seasons and overwinters in the pupal stage or as an adult butterfly. The life cycle of the painted lady is considerably more dramatic.<\/p>\n

The butterflies involved in the present \u201cirruption\u201d presumably originated in the deserts of northern Mexico. Triggered by poorly understood conditions on the wintering grounds, Painted Ladies emerge in enormous numbers (think locusts) and disperse northward occasionally reaching as far as New England.<\/p>\n

If, as sometimes happens, the irruption occurs in spring or summer the species can reproduce here, but cannot overwinter at this latitude. So unless there is another mass migration next year, you may see no painted ladies at all in Massachusetts next year.<\/p>\n

A sense of the enormity and drama of the largest of the Lady irruptions is given in this 1869 account by S. B. J. Skertchl from the Sudanese desert:<\/p>\n

\"\"

Three painted ladies \u00a9 Lucy Merrill-Hills<\/p><\/div>\n

“Our caravan had started for the coast, leaving the mountains shrouded in heavy clouds, soon after daybreak. At the foot of the high country is a stretch of wiry grass, beyond which lies the rainless desert as far as the sea. From my camel I noticed that the whole mass of the grass seemed violently agitated, although there was no wind. On dismounting I found that the motion was caused by the contortions of pupae of\u00a0V. cardui, which were so numerous that almost every blade of grass seemed to bear one…Presently the pupae began to burst and the red fluid that escaped sprinkled the ground like a rain of blood. Myriads of butterflies, limp and helpless, sprinkled the ground. Presently the sun shone forth and the insects began to dry their wings, and about half an hour after the birth of the first the whole swarm rose as a dense cloud and flew away eastwards towards the sea. I do not know how long the swarm was, but it was certainly more than a mile, and its breadth exceeded a quarter of a mile.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to witness this butterfly irruption?<\/h3>\n

You may have to travel no farther than your garden. Like many butterflies, the painted lady isn\u2019t especially picky about which flowers to nectar on. Or head for coastal areas where they tend to concentrate and seek out patches of late-blooming wildflowers such as goldenrods and asters.<\/p>\n

For more information on this fascinating butterfly, check out Mass Audubon\u2019s Butterfly Atlas<\/a>, which includes data collected between 1986 and 1990.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bees swarm. Locusts swarm. Butterflies, not so much. But at the moment, many thousands of painted lady butterflies are filling gardens and roadside stands of fall wildflowers at the end of a long flight from Southwestern deserts. There are two species of very similar \u201cLady butterflies\u201d that occur in Massachusetts. The American lady is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-notes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2zp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12831,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-beloved-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Beloved Butterflies","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What creature so embodies the bright, warm, joyous season of summer quite like the butterfly? Although we typically picture butterflies flitting about in colorful fields of wildflowers\u2014and rightly so!\u2014these fascinating insects live in a broad spectrum of habitats including forests, heathlands, bogs, swamps, even salt marshes\u2014anywhere, in fact, where their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly \u00a9 Christine St. Andre","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14677,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-to-paint-the-lily\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: To Paint the Lily","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"To\u00a0gild\u00a0refined\u00a0gold,\u00a0to\u00a0paint\u00a0the\u00a0lily...is\u00a0wasteful\u00a0and\u00a0ridiculous\u00a0excess.\"William Shakespeare, King John Act 4, Scene 2 The quote above seems fitting for this week's featured creature: the lovely Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). As if the vibrant flowers they grace in search of nectar were not gorgeous enough, Painted Ladies seem to adorn them even further with a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Painted Lady \u00a9 Gillian Henry","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/1493GillianHenry5060.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/1493GillianHenry5060.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/1493GillianHenry5060.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/1493GillianHenry5060.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":508,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/five-common-summer-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":2},"title":"Five Common Summer Butterflies","author":"Kristin S.","date":"July 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer is a magical time for watching butterflies. A quick hike in the woods, a few quiet moments in a garden, or even a walk down a city block almost always turns up a few butterflies, more if you\u2019re looking for them.\u00a0Amidst this bounty of butterflies, here are five species\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/GSFritillary-FrankModel-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5772,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Butterflies","author":"Rosemary","date":"July 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Butterfly season is in full swing. Here are five images of these spectacular insects from past editions of our Photo Contest. Want to send us your best shot? Enter our 2015 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest!","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/William-Powell-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/William-Powell-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/William-Powell-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3608,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/butterflies-and-moths-busting-the-myths\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":4},"title":"Butterflies and Moths: Busting the Myths","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Distinguishing\u00a0a moth from a butterfly should be easy, right? Well, it may be harder than you think. Butterflies are renowned for their bright colors, and moths have a reputation for drabness and nighttime flight\u2014but many don\u2019t fit this pattern. Butterflies and moths are very closely related, and belong to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16992,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/pollinator-plant-duos\/","url_meta":{"origin":9883,"position":5},"title":"Pollinator Plant Duos","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"June 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Within buzzing meadows and grasslands, insects of all shapes and sizes are getting to work. These critters may look like they are aimlessly bouncing from flower to flower, but they are fueling themselves up and pollinating in the process. Pollen sticks to the antenna, bodies, and appendages of an insect,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/KForesto-2615-750x500-95a192d0-b388-473a-8c53-ebe8f24807ef.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/KForesto-2615-750x500-95a192d0-b388-473a-8c53-ebe8f24807ef.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/KForesto-2615-750x500-95a192d0-b388-473a-8c53-ebe8f24807ef.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/KForesto-2615-750x500-95a192d0-b388-473a-8c53-ebe8f24807ef.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9883"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9890,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883\/revisions\/9890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}