TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Freeway Bureau closed a section of the northbound lanes and shoulder of National Freeway No. 3 on Tuesday (March 26) morning to protect migrating purple crow butterflies.
Chen Jui-hsiang, head of the Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Ecological Preservation Association, said the number of butterflies seen that day was the largest this year, a trend that could continue for two to three days.
The association observed that the butterfly count peaked between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on March 26, with an estimated 70,000 butterflies seen throughout the day, the highest single-day count in two years.
Chen said that if more than 250 butterflies are seen per minute, the Freeway Bureau will close the road for protection.
A green net fence has been erected next to the freeway, with a 1,100-meter-long, 4-meter-high protective net set up on the northbound side of National Freeway No. 3 in Yunlin County's Linnei Township. In addition to LED signs, traffic cones have been placed between the middle and outer lanes to warn drivers.
The Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Ecological Preservation Association said that the purple crow butterflies migrate north en masse around Tomb-Sweeping Day each year. Large numbers of purple crow butterflies have already been spotted flying over Alishan in Chiayi County.