Thousands of caper white butterflies spotted across Adelaide during spring migration
An invertebrate educator links the reported influx to wet conditions inland, while a South Australian conservation group says large southward flights are a feature of the species' migration.
Thousands of caper white butterflies have been spotted across Adelaide during their spring migration, ABC News reported on 20 October local time. An Adelaide invertebrate educator said wet conditions inland may help explain what she described as unusually high numbers this year.
Kris Messenger, who works for Adelaide invertebrate education service Bugs and Slugs, told ABC News that heavy rain farther north had created favorable conditions for the butterflies. She described their movement south as an annual event, driven by heat and limited food farther inland. The butterflies are attracted to native and introduced caper plants, she said.
Where caper white butterflies migrate in South Australia
Butterfly Conservation SA describes the caper white as a migrant to the state. It says large flights can number in the thousands and travel south toward Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Kangaroo Island. In southern settled areas, the butterflies are most commonly seen during spring and early summer.
The conservation group says most caper whites migrating through South Australia probably come from inland New South Wales and Queensland. Messenger's account to ABC News instead described a movement from Central Australia. The reported sightings do not establish the precise origins of the butterflies now in Adelaide.
Messenger also told ABC News that the butterflies arriving in Adelaide need not be the same individuals that began the journey farther north: several generations may separate departure and arrival. That helps explain how a migration can extend across such a large area without each butterfly travelling the entire route.
Why Adelaide caper plants attract the butterflies
Adelaide gardener Kate Grigg told ABC News she had seen more caper whites than usual this year. She noticed them in her garden about two weeks before sightings elsewhere in Adelaide were reported to Messenger, and said she had seen males and females mating on her caper bush for the first time.
Adult caper whites drink nectar, while their caterpillars feed on caper plants, ABC News reported. Butterfly Conservation SA identifies Capparis species, including tree caper, as larval foodplants and says caterpillars are often found on garden caper plants in Adelaide. The plants therefore matter to the butterflies after the adults arrive, as well as attracting them during the flight.
The unusually high numbers and the proposed link to inland rain are Messenger's assessments, rather than a measured count or an established cause. For Adelaide residents, the visible influx is part of a seasonal migration that can bring large flights into the city's gardens.
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Sources and context
- 'Extremely fortunate' conditions sees caper white butterflies flock to AdelaideABC News
- Caper whiteButterfly Conservation SA Inc.
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.