Painted Lady Butterfly Sunday
Painted Lady Butterfly – singly or in pairs – is not unusual here in Albuquerque. This Sunday morning I saw something I did not even know existed until today – a painted lady butterfly swarm! From around 10:00am until I had to get ready to meet a friend a couple of hours later, my yard was filled with these beautiful little flutterby’s. I thought I was imagining things. By the time I got back home, they were gone. But I heard about that time from Tim Price – they were swarming in Corrales! I’m sure he will have photos to post at Off Center and Not Even later on.
These are a few of my visitors today.
What are you looking at, lady?
As it turns out, swarming of these butterflies is a well-known phenomenon. YouTube has a beautiful video, but embedding is not allowed. You can see it by clicking here.
Life is never boring in New Mexico. There is always something to see!
We have singles and pairs of painted ladies down here all summer long, but this is the first time I’ve seen them swarm. We have hundreds of them in out salvias.
Isn’t it amazing? I was not even aware of the phenomenon, I just knew this morning I had never seen anything like it!!! I’m glad they are sticking around a little longer at your place!!
Apparently it’s not a regular thing, but a once-every-seven years or something like that thing. We had swarms of butterflies last Summer, and that’s when I found out about this occasional event. I’m ashamed to say my kitty ate so many she had stains from their wings around her mouth, and still they swarmed! You might see them for a few more weeks yet!
Hi, Mel! First, let me say how wonderful it is to see you again!
Just like you, I found out about this occasional event only when I was fortunate enough to witness it. At the moment I do not have cats, but Paco would have watched them at the patio door and become “great air hunter” of butterflies 😉 . Alex would have sat quietly and watched them.
I’m anxious for the sun to come up to see if there are any more at my house this morning. They may have been passing through to get to more lush environments down by the Rio Grande. I’m going out to Corrales later, where Tim reports they are still swarming – massively.
Thank you so much for dropping by!
Beautiful photographs. I heard that the Botanical Gardens had butterfly’s everywhere yesterday. There is no Butterfly Pavillion this year, but there was no shortage outside.
Hi, Faith! So great to see you here this morning when I got up. Thank you first of all for the info that there is no longer a Butterfly Pavilion. That has been one of my favorite features there. 🙁
I am going out to Corrales later. Tim and Laurie always have all kinds of pollinators on various plants on their property, so for Tim to be impressed with the numbers of painted ladies there now they must be there in huge numbers (same type environment as the Botanic Gardens).
Thanks for dropping by and saying Hello! So very nice to see you!
Those are beautiful images, Susan! I have never seen a swarm of butterflies before.
Hi, Lavinia. Thank you. This was definitely a first for me, and Tim said he had never seen it either. I feel really fortunate to have actually seen it, quite by chance. I have a few this morning, but nothing like yesterday. They may be staying a little longer down by the river (I hope!).
Have a wonderful day. 🙂
What beautiful photos of the Painted Ladies. They are a welcome sight when they visit. It’s finally summer!
Hi, Juanita! Thank you so much. Yes, it is summer when the Painted Ladies show up. But, I had never seen them “swarm” like this. I learned something new, for sure. I have a few today, but nothing like this time yesterday. I’m hoping there are still a lot closer to the river.
So very nice to see you today. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
I’ve heard about swarms of butterflies, but haven’t seen one yet. Painted Lady’s come in singles and pairs here in Colorado, often later in summer (from July to September).
BTW, I liked your review on “This Land: An American Portrait”. I just may have to buy the book. I’m one of those persons who feel you don’t have to go far to see the wonders of America. Like New Mexico, in Colorado, drive for 30 minutes and you can see the appeal of what brought the pioneers of our little corner. I must admit, your state is closer to the frontier than we are. The sprawl from Denver grows by the day, and in our direction to CO Springs. We are also growing northward, so one day the two cities will link up.
Hi, David. Thanks for dropping by!
I had never even *heard* of butterflies swarming until this happened in my yard. I knew I was seeing something remarkable, but at the time, I did not even know the name. This was both a beautiful experience and a learning experience for me. I hope you get to see swarming of butterflies sometime, hopefully soon!
I’m glad you liked the review. The book was a gift from a friend who knew how much I would appreciate it. I can recommend it without reservation, but one person gave it a one-star review (there are four five-star reviews). If you do get it, I’d love to know your response.
Again, thank you for coming by and leaving a comment!