Up until last week when it was cut, the alfalfa field behind us was vibrant and alive with beautiful blue flowers.

And what seemed like tens of thousands of small, yellow butterflies.

Turns out, they’re sulphur butterflies. Caterpillars of these butterflies feed on plants in the legume family. This includes beans, alfalfa, sweet clover and red clover. Because their caterpillars are readily found on alfalfa, the butterfly is sometimes called “alfalfa butterfly.” 

From what I’ve read, the butterflies pose little to no threat and aren’t likely to be a serious pest of agricultural crops.

That made us all too happy to sit back, relax and enjoy the show.