Over the next several weeks, many of us will be keeping an eye out for migrating monarch butterflies heading south to spend the winter in Central Mexico forests.
The monarch’s long, arduous trek in the fall makes the beautiful orange and black creature a source of wonder among nature lovers and scientists alike.
But, while the monarch gets most of the attention this time of year, several other common butterfly species in Georgia also migrate, though their journeys are not nearly as long as the monarch’s trek of more than 2,000 miles.
The cloudless sulphur, painted lady, common buckeye, American lady, red admiral, question mark, fiery skipper, mourning cloak, sachem and gulf fritillary are all butterfly species that migrate to warmer areas for the winter.
Many of them will overwinter in South Florida and other frost-free portions of their ranges.
One of my favorite nonmonarch migrants this time of year is the gulf fritillary, whose beautiful, bright orange colors rival those of the monarch. The gulf fritillary is essentially a subtropical species that can’t survive sustained freezing weather at any stage of its life cycle — egg, caterpillar, pupa, adult.
So, starting in late summer and continuing through fall, fritillaries engage in a mass southward migration to warmer climes. It’s why, at this time of year, I usually find swarms of them around my blooming lantana bush.
A particularly conspicuous fall migrating butterfly is the large, lemon-yellow cloudless sulphur. During September, it’s probably the most common butterfly seen in Atlanta. It seems to be everywhere — yards, parks, roadsides, parking lots, even around tall buildings.
Most of Georgia’s 150-some species of butterflies, however, do not migrate. Many of them, like the Eastern tailed blue, will overwinter as a caterpillar. Others, like the Eastern tiger swallowtail, Georgia’s state butterfly, will spend the winter as a chrysalis (pupa) and emerge as an adult in the spring.
In the sky: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be new Saturday night; by Tuesday, look for a thin crescent low in the west in the evening sky. Mercury is low in the west at dusk. Brightly shining Venus is low in the east just before sunrise. Mars rises out of the east about an hour before sunrise. Saturn appears in the southwest at dusk and sets just before midnight. It will appear near the moon Friday night.
