Painted Lady Butterflies

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ApusApus
Posts: 2123
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:54 am
Location: Kato Paphos

Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by ApusApus »

For anyone interested, there is a large migration (thousands) of Painted Lady butterflies Vanessa cardui over Cyprus at the moment. It was first spotted earlier this week in Israel and then through Cyprus, eventually heading North into Europe over the next couple of days.
Painted Lady Sample 1.jpg
Painted Lady Sample 1.jpg (77.59 KiB) Viewed 2371 times
Painted Lady Sample 2.jpg
Painted Lady Sample 2.jpg (96.94 KiB) Viewed 2371 times
Painted Lady Sample 3.jpg
Painted Lady Sample 3.jpg (67.98 KiB) Viewed 2371 times
Shane
WHL
Posts: 6862
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 2:43 pm

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by WHL »

I was just going to post about this, not thousands but millions, driving to Ayia Napa this morning and there are swarms of them, all heading North, they have covered my windscreen and car with an orange mess, ive been here over thirty years, and its the first time ive ever seen something like this.
Tremigirl
Posts: 263
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:09 am

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by Tremigirl »

We have just driven back along the motorway from Limassol and there were swarms of butterflies.
Our car is also covered in yellow/orange blobs.
Lovely to see them all though just fluttering by.
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Lincoln
Posts: 3068
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:56 am
Location: Polis

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by Lincoln »

The annual migration west. What a site to behold. Nature at it's very best.
All things are possible
Ams
Posts: 363
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:59 pm

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by Ams »

I've loved seeing all the butterflies today.

I've lived here for years, love nature, but have never seen this before (or heard anyone mention it).

So is it unusual this year?
Ams
Posts: 363
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 2:59 pm

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by Ams »

Flossie wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:19 pm It's a regular migration as Apus Apus said in his opening post.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/03/22/colo ... their-way/
It's interesting though that this is the 1st time I have noticed it, or heard anyone talk about it. Besides on here, I've had a few people asking me if I've seen the butterflies. That has never happened before.
ApusApus
Posts: 2123
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:54 am
Location: Kato Paphos

Re: Painted Lady Butterflies

Post by ApusApus »

The Painted Lady butterfly is common throughout Cyprus and has been recorded in every week of the year. Normally, only relatively small quantities are observed but very occasionally huge migrations occur like this one. In 2001, one of the last big migrations happened and it was estimated that 40+ million butterflies migrated across the island!


Shane
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