Monarch butterfly swarm delights visitors in Western Australia

Thousands of monarch butterflies have taken over the Australian town of Nannup, lounging on the tulips, humming around the bottlebrush-a butterfly swarm has invaded a rural Australian town, and delighting visitors and locals in the Southwest.

Primarily, the butterflies became famous after thousands of tourists flocked to Nannup for a yearly flower garden festival. Several pictures were shared on social media which has captivated visitors' attention.

Experts have warned that the insects thriving on noxious weeds can affect the monarch butterflies in the regional community.

According to the professionals, these butterflies have been drawn to the highly encroaching narrow leaf cotton bush, and are spreading in nearby pine plantations.

The Horticulturalist Faye Arcaro who recently visited Nannup for the festival was of the view that the weeds are highly invasive and could take over indigenous species.

She further explained, “A lot of the weedy plants grow on the banks and so the butterflies come in, lay their eggs on the milkweeds, the caterpillars eat the plants, turn into a cocoon and then hatch out as butterflies.”

Monarch butterflies are believed to have been blown across Australia through the Pacific islands during the strong winds in the 1870s.

Horticulturist Colin Barlow stated, “What we recommend is people to control the milkweed and the cotton bush inside of bushland areas, and in and around roadsides, so it doesn't spread.”

Barlow was of the view that one of the few species can eat plants, and the monarch's distinctive bright orange color is a warning of their potential toxicity.

He further explained, “There's only a couple of species of birds that can actually eat the butterflies.”