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Butterflies Fluttering By: Red Admirals "Irrupting"

Hatchlings responsible for multitudes flying around.

If you're seeing an inordinate amount of butterflies around today, you're right. There are, experts say.

They're Red Admiral butterflies, although they at first glance do look like their more well-known cousins, the Monarch butterfly. And if you're seeing multitudes, it's because it's a birthday party.

Todd Klein, a volunteer at the Cape May Bird Observatory, said this is around the time that Red Admirals are hatching. There is some migration taking place, too, Klein said.

"But what you're likely seeing are the hatchlings from last year,'' he said. "It has just gotten warm enough that the eggs are hatching.''

The observatory tracks the movement of Monarch butterflies over time. Klein said often the Red Admiral gets confused with the Monarch because the two are similarly colored.

The fall migration of Monarchs in Ocean City was late but spectacular.

The sudden influx of the butterflies is called an "irruption" -- a natural, cyclical population boom that causes an increase of butterflies every few years. And the unusually warm winter we had this year helped them to thrive, experts say. A boom of this size has not been seen in 12 years, according to butterfly watchers.

If you're overrun today like so many seem to be, don't forget to send in those pictures!

Related Topics: Red Admiral Butterflies

Dave Moskowitz

4:04 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012

The lead photo is not a Red admiral. Check out the Red admiral story from the East Brunswick Patch about why there are so many being seen in NJ and the East Brunswick Butterfly Park: http://eastbrunswick.patch.com/blog_posts/the-red-admiral-is-everywhere-have-you-seen-this-butterfly-may-5-2012

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gramatthebeach

5:14 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012

Thanks for the great explanation Keith. We've been seeing tons of them in our gardens the past week or so and wondered where they were coming from. 'Just beautiful!

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Wyatt

1:43 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012

Are they residents or shoobies? If residents, how will they vote on the BYOB issue? If shoobies lets treat them like other shoobies and squeeze them for money just because they are here. Shouldn't they be required to have beach tags?

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Ellen

2:54 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012

Are they carrying lunch bags and sneaking on the beach?

Boadicea

8:02 am on Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Have they their beach tags? And do they buy them for the season?

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