THIS STORY ORIGINALLY appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.
The dozen butterflies were flying gracefully over a beach in French Guiana when Gerard Talavera spotted them. It only took a moment to see they were extraordinary. These were not just any butterflies, he saw, but painted ladies (Vanessa cardui)—beautiful orange, white, and black insects that do not live in South America. They migrate regularly from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa, but stop several times during their travels to rest. To reach this beach, Talavera realized, they would have to have traveled more than 4,200 kilometers, crossing the Atlantic Ocean without a break.
That was back in 2013. Now,
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