The Butterfly Valley Secret Spot in Maolin, Kaohsiung — A Spectacular Sight of 300,000 Purple Crow Butterflies in Flight

▲ The sight of purple crow butterflies dancing is incredibly dreamlike. (Photo / Provided by the Maolin National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, MOTC. The same applies to all following photos.)

Reporter Chen Hanyin / Comprehensive Report

Taiwan is a beautiful treasure island, home to a rich diversity of species. Every year during autumn and winter, tens of thousands of purple crow butterflies migrate south to the valleys in Maolin District, Kaohsiung, to overwinter. The breathtaking sight of large swarms of these butterflies dancing in the sky is truly magnificent, attracting numerous domestic and international tourists each year who come to witness this magical butterfly paradise.

▲ One of only two places in the world, the Purple Crow Butterfly Wintering Valley forms a spectacular Purple Butterfly Valley.

Taiwan’s “Purple Butterfly Valley” and the Americas’ “Monarch Butterfly Valley” are both considered world-class natural treasures. Maolin is one of only two wintering butterfly valleys in the world. Starting around November each year until March of the following year, purple crow butterflies gather and migrate to the valleys at the foot of the Dawu Mountain range to escape the cold winter, only returning north when spring arrives.

▲ Every winter, the sight of purple crow butterflies flying to the valleys at the foot of Dawu Mountain, a sacred mountain for the Rukai and Paiwan peoples in southern Taiwan, is truly spectacular.

The butterfly-watching season can last for over four months. The Maolin National Scenic Area Administration has organized the “Taiwan Maolin Purple Butterfly Valley ~ Biennial Butterfly-Watching Season Series.” This year, they launched a high-speed rail day trip package in collaboration with Taiwan High Speed Rail for the first time, and have also partnered with multiple travel agencies to offer one-day and two-day butterfly-watching tour packages. In addition, to preserve the beauty of this pristine land, the “Butterfly Protection Action” has been initiated, with plans to distribute 2,000 free Gossypium kirkii plants for public planting, allowing visitors to contribute to the ecological conservation of the butterfly valley.

Maolin National Scenic Area
Address: No. 120, Saiga Lane, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County 901