I also have been seeing a lot of Painted Ladies- even 3 or 4 just waiting for
a traffic light. I believe they are the offspring of a remarkable migration
this year, which reached Seattle a little over a month ago.

This unusual migration reflects El Nino-like weather in the South west this
spring.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park near the Salton Sea had the third rainiest
winter
ever. The "4th of July" Butterfly count (the butterfly community's equivalent
of the
Christmas Bird Count, held in late March in the desert before it dries and
heats up)
had over 100,000! I followed them north in early April as far as west central
Nevada, where I saw 231 in 3 minutes crossing a highway.
Bob Vandenbosch
ne Seattle