By the thousands, by the tens of thousands, by the, well, you get the idea, Orange County has been invaded. The invader is Vanessa Cardui, the Painted Lady Butterfly. While the sun is shining (and it’s been shining a lot for a change), they’re everywhere. Apparently, the record winter rainfall led to an abundance of wildflowers where the Painted Ladys spend the winter. Now their broods are heading north.
A news story can be found here (free one-time registration required).
You can get a brief background on the Painted Lady here.
And here’s a picture: 