Swallowtail butterflies’ migration; soothing rustle amid biodiversity challenges in Israel

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Preserving Israel's rich biodiversity faces common challenges, such as habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, overuse of natural resources, and climate change.

Israel’s State of Nature reports track ecosystem health and emphasize the crucial role of biodiversity – including insects, birds, and mammals – in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The latest report reveals a significant decline in insect population due to agricultural pesticides, reflecting global trends and impacting essential services like pollination.

During 13 years of monitoring in Israel, butterfly abundance dropped by 34%, with 51 of the 133 species now threatened, and 11 facing critical risk of extinction.

Despite this, the KKL-JNF Hula Valley Reserve is currently vibrant with the arrival of thousands of Swallowtail butterflies, a migratory species that graces the area each summer.

Known for their distinctive contrasting colors, which signal toxicity and deter predators, these butterflies lay their eggs on sharp-angled milkweed, a toxic plant that further protects the larvae.

Males can be identified by an additional spot on their hind wings that releases a pheromone to attract females. With a wingspan of nearly 3 inches, swallowtails migrate at about 12 miles per hour and can be seen fluttering among nectar-rich flowers, such as thistle and bindweed, in the Hula Reserve.

Inbar Shlomit Rubin, field manager at Israel's Upper Galilee Reserve, emphasized the unique experience that witnessing the butterfly migration provides.
"The migration of butterflies is less well-known than bird migration, but the sight of hundreds of butterflies, with their delicate movement and impressive colors, provides moments of peace and rest for the soul,” she noted.