Have you seen the red admiral butterfly migration?
05-02-2012, 06:25 PM
#1
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Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
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Have you seen the red admiral butterfly migration?
I thought I was losing my mind... driving north into Buffalo today, and there were all these butterflies crossing the highway, and all but one were moving west to east! It's kinda hard to ID a butterfly (or moth) at 65 mph...
But later my mother mentioned that she'd heard something on the radio about red butterflies... and I searched for news reports on "red butterflies" and found a number of articles talking about the "red admiral butterfly" migration being earlier and larger than usual, due to our warmer spring.
So I was *not* imagining things!
Sad to say, I killed three of them. Can't brake for butterflies on the interstate.
Have you seen the butterfly migration in your area? If so, tell us where!
But later my mother mentioned that she'd heard something on the radio about red butterflies... and I searched for news reports on "red butterflies" and found a number of articles talking about the "red admiral butterfly" migration being earlier and larger than usual, due to our warmer spring.
So I was *not* imagining things!
Sad to say, I killed three of them. Can't brake for butterflies on the interstate.
Have you seen the butterfly migration in your area? If so, tell us where!
05-02-2012, 07:58 PM
#3
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Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,340
Years ago, my daughters and I were driving to Kansas and we were somewhere in the pan handle of Texas and we had a similar incident. My eldest daughter was 9 and told me to stop, because I was killing the butterflies. It was incredible to see. They were yellow, not sure what they were. It was the end of May when it happened.
When I was very young in the late 1950's, we still lived in Kansas and we were on out way to my grandparents' house in Goddard, just outside of Wichita, and we had to stop for a herd of turtles crossing the road. My dad stopped the car because at first look it appeared the road was moving, then he realized what it was so we stopped and watched them. It never happened to us again.
When I was very young in the late 1950's, we still lived in Kansas and we were on out way to my grandparents' house in Goddard, just outside of Wichita, and we had to stop for a herd of turtles crossing the road. My dad stopped the car because at first look it appeared the road was moving, then he realized what it was so we stopped and watched them. It never happened to us again.
05-03-2012, 05:32 AM
#4
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Location: Grants Pass, Oregon
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I live in Grandfalls Texas and two years ago they stopped here and rested on the trees for a few days. It was amazing and oh so beautiful. Last year we had some but not nearly as many as before. I hope that they come and stop by again this year.
05-04-2012, 03:07 AM
#7
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Location: Australia
Posts: 4,116
I've not seen butterflies do that. However, we have large moths called bogongs which swarm like that. I have been in buildings where they swarm up against the windows and block out the light. They have a very fat, edible body and are generally as long as one's middle finger, but can be larger. I will try to attach a photo of the first one I have spotted this year.[ATTACH=CONFIG]332707[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]332708[/ATTACH]
05-04-2012, 05:10 AM
#9
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Location: Illinois
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edible???not by me...that is a frightening pic-that close up of the moth.......but speaking of the red admiral butterfly....it looks like what we have here in Illinois, but I always thought they were a kind of moth????????they are colorful and they do like my butterfly bush!!!!!
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