Butterfly Migration & Identification

by on April 16, 2026 with No Comments

Now is the perfect time to capture glimpses of some of the native butterflies during their spring migration between Mexico and North America. For monarchs, the spring journey takes several generations to complete, unlike the winter journey with a fast descent into Mexico. Here are a few of the butterflies you might see in and around the hills:

  • Monarch Butterfly – it has distinct orange and black wings, with white dots
  • Sara Orangetips Butterfly – like its name implies the white wings have distinct orange tips
  • Mourning Cloak Butterfly– it has black wings with yellow edges
  • Cabbage White Butterfly – it has dusty white and limited black dots on its upper wings

To specifically help monarch butterflies, report your sighting.

A photograph of an orange, black and white speckled monarch butterfly on milkweed.
A photograph of a white butterfly with organ and black wingtips.
A photograph of a black butterfly with yellow wingtips.
A photograph of a white butterfly with pale black specks on its upper wing tips.