Hi,
I am doing a butterfly inventory in a natural reserve for an internship and doing nearly everyday the same hikes, and after a couple of rainy days, I recently observed an incredible “butterfly boom” on the first sunny day, with up to 30 species. But the next day : only 1 butterfly seen (it was a cloudy and a little bit rainy day).
So I was wondering what would cause such “butterfly boom” and not see any of them the next day ? Cause the rain was very rare and scarce.
Thank you !
If day 2 was a cloudy day, could it be less sunlight?
Yeah, if conditions aren’t right, eg if it’s not warm enough, butterflies won’t really be able to fly much. Could be that they were still there, just resting on plants because they weren’t warm enough to fly.
I’ve often found that the first sunny day after a prolonged cold/cloudy streak is the best day to look for butterflies. The cloudy days can seriously inhibit activity, so the first sunny day will often see a burst of concentrated activity as the butterflies eagerly try to get business done - nectar, mate, lay eggs, etc. After that initial burst, things usually go back to normal.