Last month, Californians were swarmed with butterflies! The species, called “painted ladies” (Vanessa cardui) were migrating from their wintering spot in the Mojave and Colorado deserts of southern California as they flew northwest to Oregon and Washington. This year’s increase in population was due to more rain in the desert, which meant more plants, which led to increased breeding of the butterflies. This increase in plants is known as a superbloom.