On March 8, thousands of Painted Lady Butterflies stunned people across San Diego, as they were seen flying over the city on their annual migration north towards the Pacific Northwest. Painted Lady butterflies have similar colors and markings to monarch butterflies, but are smaller than monarch butterflies are. Groups of these butterflies are still seen flying throughout town, although March 8 was the height of their display. That weekend, many people saw swarms of thousands of butterflies flying over them on the coastline, creating a surreal experience. Sophomore Emma Saisan said, “I was shocked to see so many groups of butterflies flying over me while I was at the beach this weekend, it was an extremely cool sight, which I felt very lucky to see.”
The Santa Ana winds this year may have pushed the butterflies towards the coast, creating the gorgeous beach sight. The amount of butterflies seen during this year’s migration was also much higher than past years, likely because of this year’s particularly wet desert winter. Sophomore Antonio Toledo said, “I’ve seen these types of butterflies here in San Diego in the past, but never this many at once, the huge amount was crazy, and nothing like I have seen before.” The massive migration of these beautiful butterflies is estimated to last for the next few weeks.
