Record-Breaking Butterflies on Jan. 1

MISSION, Texas, Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The new year began with an unprecedented "bloom" of butterflies at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, with a record-breaking 87 species documented for the day. 

While the center has long been recognized for its remarkable volume and diversity of wild, free-flying butterflies, this unseasonal total on the first day of the new year is shocking the most seasoned of butterfliers.

Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg, president and founder of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), stated, "On a typical January day, one would expect to see about 25 species at the center, according to data NABA has collected over the last 20 years.  This data set is especially useful in establishing trends and evaluating anomalies, such as this."

This exceptional occurrence at a truly exceptional place follows a year full of unusual weather events, starting with Winter Storm Uri in February, which brought a killing freeze to the Rio Grande Valley.

Instead of welcoming regular rainfall in September, the region was struck by a heat wave that lasted through the end of December, with this four-month period becoming the second hottest of all time. The last ten days of December registered temperatures 12-16° F above average, and on January 1, 2022, Mission, Texas reached a record-breaking 92° F.

The National Butterfly Center sits at the northernmost edge of the neotropics. While this area is uniquely hospitable to butterflies in a normal year, 2021—especially the last month—brought a multitude of migrants from the interior of Mexico and beyond.  These very special "strays" include the first documented sighting of a Lugubrious Blue-Skipper in the United States at the National Butterfly Center, on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.  Also spotted that same day was the ultra-rare Pale Sicklewing, and a Goodson's Greenstreak, last photographed in the U.S. in 1994. In addition, Orion Cecropians and Pale-spotted Leafwings, commonly found in Central and South America, delighted visitors.

"Butterflies are a key indicator of climate change," asserts Glassberg.  "Not only are their numbers declining in North America as a result of increased aridity due to climate change, but we see butterfly species rapidly ranging northward in response to the increasing warmth, especially in the winter.  The relationship between butterflies and a warming world should be of peculiar interest is scientists, evolutionary biologists and climatologists, alike."

SOURCE North American Butterfly Association

Related Links

http://www.naba.org