The painted lady butterfly may be found around the world–it is the most widespread of all butterflies–but where has it gone along the coast of Carmel? I saw the painted lady in great numbers last year, but this season my count is in single digits. I’ve also noticed a decrease in butterflies in general, save for the cabbage white. The downturn in sightings in the backyard comes despite doubling the number of butterfly attracting plants.
We did lose a field to development down the street this year. But a large green belt area near us remains untouched. The annual monarch migration is three month’s away–last year the count was way down.
Covid-19 has shown us how fragile life can be. Less known is how the rabbit population has been decimated by a virus. Maybe something is up with painted ladies, or do I have too much time on my hands?
67Steffen.com 
Leave a Reply