Butterfly Crossing In Altadena: Show Us Your Butterfly Pics

LOS ANGELES, CA —For the past several days in Southern California, residents haven't been able to walk outside, drive or go just about anywhere without running into a horde of butterflies swirling on the breeze.

According to expert Tom Merriman of Butterfly Farms, in a conversation with Pasadena Star News, 1 billion painted ladies are migrating north and will flutter by over the next few weeks as they travel to their breeding grounds in Oregon. It's an annual migration, but this year, the sheer number of large butterflies is unusual, and according to reports, a surprising exception to a years-long trend of declining butterfly populations.

In Los Angeles County, residents chatted up their painted lady stories on social media, discussing seeing clouds of butterflies taking off and zipping around from the coast to the mountains. Thousands were spotted flying near La Cienega and above rush hour traffic on the 105 Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Butterflies were spotted in Pasadena and in the Santa Monica Mountains, and according to readers, they were flying along the immediate coastline.

"It's just too beautiful out there!" Orange County mom Nudrat Wasif said on Facebook. "I've never seen so many butterflies in my life, it really feels like a dream."

Experts say that the butterfly migration could continue for a month more. Have you seen them? Share your stories with Patch!

By Ashley Ludwig, Patch Staff