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We recently received a request for more information about the Purple Milkweed Butterfly, which was the subject of a video covering their annual mass migration in Taiwan. As the winter monsoon moves down from the Northeast, thousands of Purple Milkweed Butterflies make a mass migration to south Taiwan, where they shelter in the warm valleys at the foot of Dawu Mountain. Spectators have described the spectacle as like watching a purple river coming around the mountain. Scattered with white dots over glistening blue and purple wings, the irridescent colour continually changes hue in the sunlight.

Milkweed butterflies are so-called because their larvae feed on milkweed plants, which cause the butterflies to be distasteful and toxic, an effective deterrent against predators. They are also known as Crow butterflies and the migrating purple crow butterflies are classified as members of the Euploea genus (Euploeini).

Kelly Her has written a comprehensive article about efforts to safeguard the seasonal migration and she can be contacted at mail.gio.gov.tw (usual mail address format, kelly@mail.gio.etc.etc). There is also a Purple Butterfly Valley Conservation Society in Maolin, Taiwan.

Labels: butterflies, Butterfly Conservation, Migration, Purple Milkweed Butterfly, Taiwan

Today is the start of 'Save Our Butterflies Week' in the UK, 21 - 29 July, 2007, and there are many events throughout the country, organized by Butterfly Conservation.
Britain has 55 resident butterfly species and several more regular visitors from abroad but five butterflies have become extinct in the UK in the last 150 years and many species have become endangered in recent years. Butterfly Conservation has instituted an extensive conservation programme to raise awareness and save them.

Find some interesting Nature Holidays in our extensive list of activity vacations.

Labels: butterflies, Butterfly Conservation, Save Our Butterflies Week, UK

Two species of butterfly have been identified which take part in mass migration. Tens of thousands of Monarch butterflies travel about 5,000km from Canada and the US to over-winter in Mexico. From November to March, the hibernation point at Mariposa Monarca (Special Biosphere Reserve) encourages visitors to follow trails through the forests where the butterfly spends the winter months.
In Taiwan, when the winter monsoon comes down from the Northeast, tens of thousands of Purple Milkweed Butterflies make a migration south to take shelter in the warm valleys at the foot of Dawu Mountain. Come the spring, they return to their breeding ground in the north which involves passing over some 600m of busy freeway and this year, the Taiwanese authorities are to close one lane of a major highway to protect them. The authorities are also installing special netting and ultra violet lights, in an effort to raise the flight path of the butterflies, and thereby avoid them being sucked into the down-draught created by the cars.

Labels: butterflies, Mexico, Migration, Taiwan, tours