ECOLOGY: Butterflies in Edmonton, explained

University of Alberta entomologist John Acorn knows a whole lot about butterflies. “Their numbers fluctuate a great deal and that can be pretty confusing, but in general the common species are always common, but the rarer species are still here,” he says.

Acorn’s specialty means he realized the potential for last summer’s butterfly explosion in Edmonton. He prepared this amazing video to explain the changes … and the difference between Painted Ladies and Monarchs.