Tropical butterfly discovered in Quebec a sign of warming | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Tropical butterfly discovered in Quebec a sign of warming

The city's botanical garden said the giant swallowtail butterflies were recently found for the first time on a prickly ash plant there.

 

BUTTERFLIES: Giant swallowtails normally live in Central and South America. Starting in the late 1990s, they began showing up in North America as far north as the southern tip of Canada. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Caterpillars belonging to a species of butterfly previously unknown as far north as Canada have been discovered in Montreal, in a sign that this country's cool climate is warming, researchers said Monday.

 

The city's botanical garden and insectarium said the giant swallowtail butterflies (Papilio cresphontes Cramer) were recently found for the first time on a prickly ash plant there.