The rare sighting of a white cloud of some 10,000 butterflies descending on a field by Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport. Photo: Screenshot.

A plowed field outside Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport this weekend was the scene of a rare sighting of some 10,000 butterflies, which created the appearance of a “white cloud,” a leading Israeli butterfly researcher, who has been studying butterflies for 60 years, told Israel’s Channel 2 on Monday.

“As I drove my daily route, I suddenly saw a white cloud. I realized they were butterflies and immediately I reached for my camera. The group was roaming in the area and stopped to enjoy the nectar of flowers growing in the field,” said Dubi Benyamini, chairman of the Israeli Lepidopterists Society.

“I have not seen anything like this in 60 years” of studying butterflies, Benyamini added. “Some 10,000 migrated over here and landed on an island of green vegetation and moist soil. I’m glad I got to see it,” he told Channel 2.

Dubi Benyamini’s footage of the butterflies, as broadcast by Israel’s Channel 2 can be viewed below.