Butterfly migration

The Purple Crow butterfly. Below - the safety nets on the Taiwan highway - Images from Chinapost

Today's story is more about thoughtfulness, which I find much lacking in today's world. Taiwan is so sensitive about the population of a certain kind of butterfly in its country that it has closed an entire highway to traffic. From mid-March onwards for about a month thousands of Purple Crow butterflies migrate over this section of the highway towards the north to breed after spending winter down south in the island where its warmer.

The special precautionary actions came after 2007 when many of these butterflies were hit on the highway by speeding vehicles. Since then an entire conservation project was launched and the protective measures include a driving speed limit of 37mph and a two mile road block when the butterfly numbers exceed 500.

The migration in Taiwan, which is only one of two mass butterfly migrations worldwide, offers a beautiful spectacle. Taiwan has one of the highest densities of butterflies in the world and has been named 'Kingdom of Butterflies.' I hope they continue the conservation efforts and I hope to see this someday!

Read more on the migration