- Citizens are encouraged to monitor and communicate sightings of pigeon tails.
Looking like a mini hummingbird yet a butterfly, the Painted Lady. The Bavarian Nature Conservation Association (LBV) is looking for people's help in determining its frequency during September. All through September, the public is invited to contribute to the citizen science project "Butterflies in Focus" by logging online their encounters of these swift, nimble butterflies.
As autumn approaches, the Painted Lady travels up to 3,000 kilometers towards the south. The LBV reveals that due to climate change, this butterfly is also seen wintering in Bavaria more often. This project aims to shed light on this phenomenon.
Butterfly with night owl tendencies
Typically, the Painted Lady is a nocturnal butterfly but is also spotted flitting from flower to flower even in inclement weather - even in rain. Its over 3-centimeter-long proboscis gives it an edge over other insects when it comes to flowers with long corollas. As Elisa Treffehn, an LBV expert, put it, "When it feeds on nectar, the butterfly hovers near the flower like a hummingbird, often mistaken for the small birds that aren't native to Germany."
In March and July, the LBV had already requested people to report sightings of butterflies, with a focus on the Admiral and the Swallowtail.
The Commission has expressly encouraged public participation in the "Butterflies in Focus" project to understand the increasing presence of Painted Ladies during winter in Bavaria. Due to the efforts of the Commission and the public, valuable insights about this phenomenon related to climate change can be gathered.
