Super bloom of butterflies in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Painted Lady Super Bloom in the Santa Cruz Mountains!

Driving Highway 9 from the Silicon Valley up to the ridgeline of the Santa Cruz Mountains is always beautiful, but today felt extraordinary. Every turn in the road brought a fresh swirl of butterflies. Hundreds. Thousands. Painted Lady butterflies everywhere.

I looked it up while stopped along the way and discovered this is being called a butterfly “super bloom.” After abundant rainfall, plentiful food for caterpillars, warm weather, and the right conditions, these butterflies emerged all at once in breathtaking numbers. The last major super bloom like this was in 2019.

Watching them drift through the mountain light reminded me how much of life depends on timing and conditions we cannot force. Sometimes beauty appears suddenly after long periods of unseen preparation.

Today, I am simply grateful for butterflies.

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