Fall Painted Lady Migration Underway

Painted Ladies are active and abundant in northern Iowa and North and South Dakota. They have been observed there during the weekend either gathering in large numbers or actually migrating. They also seem to be getting ready to migrate here in central Iowa. Their population here has been building up for weeks, with many nectaring on prairie wildflowers. Now that the winds have turned northerly and the air has cooled, there seems to be a new urgency to their activity. This morning, they have been milling about around roosting trees and beginning to head southward. More soon. I'm off to watch them this morning and record their flight directions.

Posted on September 5, 2017 03:49 PM by iowabiologist