Butterflies swarming through Texas — and they aren’t monarchs

TEXAS (KXAN) — Swarms of butterflies are inundating portions of Texas — and they aren’t the monarch migrations most Texans know and love.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shared on social media Wednesday footage of American snout butterflies spotted in the Canyon State Natural Area in San Antonio. The American snout butterfly is noted for its long facial features, TPWD said, including — you guessed it — a distinct snout.

The American snout butterfly is regarded for its migration sizes in the southern portion of the state, reaching “plague-like proportions,” according to TPWD. A KXAN report from October 2022 found these butterflies appear in droves following especially hot and dry summer weather.

Some years see upwards of hundreds of thousands of butterflies, or even into the millions, Austin Butterfly Forum’s president Dan Hardy told KXAN in October 2022.

Following explosions in South Texas and Mexico, the butterflies stream through Austin before heading northward.

TPWD breaks down more details on the American snout butterflies online .

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