Newport-Mesa on painted lady flight path

Marisa O’Neil

They’re just passing through, but hordes of butterflies are adding

some black and gold to Orange County this week.

Large clusters of the insects are winging their way north through

Newport-Mesa. The painted lady butterflies, also known as Vanessa

cardui, look like monarch butterflies, only smaller, with 2- to

3-inch wingspans.

It’s a sure sign that spring is here.

“It seems like spring has sprung,” Newport Beach Lifeguard Lt. Jon

Mitchell said Thursday. “The ladybugs and butterflies are out in

force.”

Though the painted ladies make the migration each year, the recent

wet weather led to more of the butterflies than normal, said UC

Irvine biology professor and nature photographer Peter Bryant.

“They breed down in the desert Southwest and Mexico,” Bryant said.

“In a rainy year like this one, there’s a huge production and more

growth of their food plant.”

They lay their eggs and feed on weedy plants like thistle, mallow

and nettles, said Liz Cooper, a member of the North American

Butterfly Assn. The fully-grown butterflies feed on nectar from

flowers.

The painted ladies then fly north to Canada, Bryant said.

The last time the butterflies made such a prolific appearance in

Orange County was in the 1970s, he said.

Their timing serves as a perfect warm-up for the new butterfly

house opening April 17 at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport

Beach, executive director Bo Glover said.

“The migration is good timing for people to get enthused about the

butterfly house,” Glover said.

People have been calling the center to ask about the butterflies

flitting around town, he said.

Those who somehow miss the many painted ladies in the wild will

have a second chance when the butterfly house opens, Glover said.

That variety and seven to 11 other native species are set to hatch by

the time it opens, he said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.