These Stunning Butterflies Flew 2,600 Miles Across the Atlantic Ocean Without Stopping

Researchers combined several lines of evidence to solve the mystery of why a group of painted ladies, which do not live in South America, were found fluttering on a beach in French Guiana

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
June 25, 2024



Painted ladies are known for making long migrations over land. Roger Vila


Gerard Talavera was walking on a beach in French Guiana in October 2013 when he came across a spectacle that stopped him in his tracks: about ten butterflies fluttering around with tattered wings.

These were not just any butterflies. They were painted ladies (Vanessa cardui), a striking orange, black and white species that’s common around the world, but not usually found in South America. He wondered how the insects traveled so far from their typical range.

Painted ladies regularly migrate up to 9,000 miles from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa. But on that journey, they stop along the way to rest and refuel. Reaching South America would have required crossing the Atlantic Ocean with no respite.

Talavera, an entomologist at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona, and his colleagues have spent the last decade investigating this question. And now, they think they might have the answer.

The butterflies likely made the 2,600-mile trek across the Atlantic from West Africa with help from favorable wind conditions, the researchers report Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-stunning-butterflies-flew-2600-miles-across-the-atlantic-ocean-without-stopping-180984602/