[PHOTO CREDIT: CWF PHOTO CONTEST MARSHA LOMIS (Red Admiral Image)]
Are you seeing more butterflies this spring than usual? If you live in eastern Canada then you probably are, especially red admirals. According to a recent article, there are an estimated 300 million red admiral butterflies from Windsor to New Brunswick, that’s 10 times more than normal.
This increase in butterfly numbers is being attributed to the warm winter experienced throughout North America. This has caused butterflies to emerge earlier from their overwintering forms from Texas, Florida and other places and has helped them survive on their northward migration. Strong winds have also played a role in the abundance of migratory butterflies.
You can help create habitat for these pollinators and others by creating a garden haven!
Terri-Lee Reid
Terri-Lee Reid is a Freshwater Conservation Researcher at the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). She leads initiatives in researching, designing and delivering freshwater programs and advocating CWF’s freshwater positions to government, the public and other stakeholders.
