We missed the super bloom but have caught the super migration…
“Vanessa”enjoying a Cotoneaster blossom in our garden.
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Reports from March and April 2026 confirm high volumes of Painted Ladies moving northward through areas like San Diego and Orange County.
2026 migration, now reaching Merced County, is noted as being larger than normal. In peak “irruption” years, which often follow wet winters, their numbers can reach into the hundreds of millions or even a billion.
These butterflies are known for flying “like a bat out of hell,” reaching speeds of 20–30 miles per hour. They typically fly at eye level, making them very easy for people to spot. But equally difficult to photograph.
They are traveling from their wintering grounds in the Mojave and Colorado deserts toward the Pacific Northwest(Oregon, Washington) and as far north as Canada.
I began noticing them on our Moto ramble to Anza-Borrego around the first of March. On bicycle rides through the month we spotted them increasingly, noting how infrequently we see these large winged pollinators, like monarchs or swallowtails these days.
Today, Easter Sunday, I kept seeing them“flying like hell”across our backyard, a few pausing to visit blossoming flowers. It takes a fair amount of energy to make this lengthy migration.
So, Godspeed Vanessa and all of your family on this wonderful journey!
Sisyphus and Associates 