Vanessa atalanta migration 2024

[Chuck]

Last week, before it snowed, there was an unusual number of V. atlanta around.

It warmed up a bit three days ago, albeit with rain. Today it's 64F and sunny. There are hundreds of atlanta, everywhere. Most are flying fast, I've only observed one alight. They are absolutely beat.

So either there was a local population explosion late last year followed by a high winter survival rate, or they have migrated. Given the condition of them, I'd say they migrated en masse. I've never seen anything like this before.

[livingplanet3]

Last week, before it snowed, there was an unusual number of V. atlanta around.

It warmed up a bit three days ago, albeit with rain. Today it's 64F and sunny. There are hundreds of atlanta, everywhere. Most are flying fast, I've only observed one alight. They are absolutely beat.

So either there was a local population explosion late last year followed by a high winter survival rate, or they have migrated. Given the condition of them, I'd say they migrated en masse. I've never seen anything like this before.

Here in North TX, for weeks now, I've been seeing more V. atalanta than ever before - absolute swarms of them. Of course, TX has always been a great place to see swarms of things, but the butterfly numbers here this spring are really outstanding. Not just atalanta, but also cardui and virginiensis are quite abundant. Many Polygonia interrogationis and Battus philenor as well, among others such as Danaus gilippus, D. plexippus, Anaea andria, and numerous Pieridae.

[Trehopr1]

It's very cool to experience "out of the ordinary" occurrences with insects.

I still recall quite vividly the experience that I had in my early teens when some friends stopped over at my house and told me about all these monarch butterflies landing on a huge tree branch by a neighbor's house.

I ran over to investigate and sure enough we were experiencing a monarch overnighting "roost".

It would be the one and only time I would ever see such a phenomenon as that....

[Chuck]

Here in North TX, for weeks now, I've been seeing more V. atalanta than ever before - absolute swarms of them. Of course, TX has always been a great place to see swarms of things, but the butterfly numbers here this spring are really outstanding. Not just atalanta, but also cardui and virginiensis are quite abundant. Many Polygonia interrogationis and Battus philenor as well, among others such as Danaus gilippus, D. plexippus, Anaea andria, and numerous Pieridae.

I suspect it would be possible to track the migration of (for example. V atlanta) with iNaturalist. Since one can filter by date, it would be possible to start "this week" and start working backwards. It would though reflect both emergences and migration; in the case of the V atlanta here, which are beat, I suspect that the "beat up butterfly" trend would be visually obvious from individual iNat records during those periods. Just an idea.

[Paul K]

Last week, before it snowed, there was an unusual number of V. atlanta around.

It warmed up a bit three days ago, albeit with rain. Today it's 64F and sunny. There are hundreds of atlanta, everywhere. Most are flying fast, I've only observed one alight. They are absolutely beat.

So either there was a local population explosion late last year followed by a high winter survival rate, or they have migrated. Given the condition of them, I'd say they migrated en masse. I've never seen anything like this before.

We have here on the north side of the Lake Ontario also unusual numbers of V.atalanta.

[Chuck]

We have here on the north side of the Lake Ontario also unusual numbers of V.atalanta.

I am not surprised. Clearly they are coming from "south." The question is: why in such numbers?

[livingplanet3]

...in the case of the V atlanta here, which are beat, I suspect that the "beat up butterfly" trend would be visually obvious from individual iNat records during those periods...

The atalanta I'm seeing here in TX are nearly all in fine condition - no flight wear at all; definitely from recent, local emergence. Same with the V. cardui, V. virginiensis and P. interrogationis.

[Paul K]

We have here on the north side of the Lake Ontario also unusual numbers of V.atalanta.

I am not surprised. Clearly they are coming from "south." The question is: why in such numbers?

I suspect that warmer weather thru North America this winter cause higher survival rate, also very mild temperatures and early spring triggered migratory instinct in more individuals than normal years to fly north.
On top of that perhaps last season higher number survive to an adult. It will be interesting to see if a huge number reproduce here and it will be a great year for this species or it will end as other years.

[eurytides]

Lots of atalanta in Kingston. Never seen this many so early. Could be another 2012 in the making.

[Paul K]

Adam
Please could you divert the post of Vanessa atalanta migration 2024 to separate thread. Everyone could report here.

[adamcotton]

Done.

Adam.

[Paul K]

Thank you Adam

[Nymphalis antiopa]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I didn’t see notifications of any replies so I apologize for not checking sooner.

[Chuck]

I just returned from northern KY. There are many beat V atlanta there, but perhaps 20% of what I'm seeing in Upstate NY.

[Nymphalis antiopa]

The atalanta I'm seeing here in TX are nearly all in fine condition - no flight wear at all; definitely from recent, local emergence. Same with the V. cardui, V. virginiensis and P. interrogationis.

Same here in Wisconsin. All those species are typically very battered in April and May here.