Rare butterflies start their once-in-a-decade migration in the U.K. and Ireland
The rare painted lady butterfly has been spotted in the U.K. and Ireland, a once-in-a-decade phenomenon. The painted lady or Vanessa cardui emerge every 10 years when weather conditions and food sources are ideal for their survival.
Over 11 million painted lady butterflies were spotted in 2009, the last time they emerged.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
An employee at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland told the BBC that he's seeing thousands of painted ladies at the moment, as opposed to the usual 10-15 in the gardens.
Painted lady butterflies can travel up to 100 miles in a day and the numbers will likely increase in the coming months – although that increase depends on temperature, wind conditions, and more.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
[h/t BBC]
Topics Animals
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
