Greetings. I've lived in L.A. my entire life, and this is a new one on me. The combination of the (so far) second wettest rain season on record here (since records began back in the 1800s) and suddenly quite warm weather, has triggered a veritable explosion in butterfly populations all over the area.

It seemed to start a couple of days ago, and today there are orange butterflies in view pretty much everwhere you look, sometimes hundreds or more at a time. There must be billions of them. It's truly impressive.

We know that the heavy rains can be anything but a good omen for Los Angeles. Outside of the immediate damage, the massive growth of wild vegetation could yield a terrible fire season later this year after everything dries out in the summer heat.

But for now, the splashes of butterfly colors streaking through the sky in their multitudes are a welcome sight, and very special indeed.

--Lauren--