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Omaha, Nebraska
Yesterday I recorded the first Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) in my yard this year.
Since it seemed so odd that my first recorded sighting of such a common butterfly was not until early August, I did a little research on the Painted Lady. It turns out the butterfly winters in Mexico and then migrates northward as the weather turns warm. Arrival in various parts of the country is dictated by migration patterns and regional weather patterns. It could be that climate influenced a late start to migration or that migration was disrupted/delayed by regional weather disturbances. Or I could just have been unlucky.
What's going on in your area?