Have you seen a decline in Monarchs in the midwest this year

We in the Northeast have seen a marked decline. Maine public radio reported that the monarch counters have seen NONE.

TIA
LAS

Now that you mention it LAS, yes. I remember when I was a kid, (about 40 years ago) I always saw them but I think I've seen one this year. Maybe it's due to pesticides like those that are killing honeybees off.
I am not sure that what I saw was even a Monarch, I've seen a real pretty Swallowtail, which is unusual even. I've seen several Fritolaries, I think I recall seeing one Monarch and how odd that was that I've only seen one. I live more in an urban area now, when I was a kid it was more rural.

But, I never really thought about it I guess. But seeing Butterflies of any kind seems like a rare event anymore. They are so nice, I would like to see more of them!
I know pepper for one really likes Butterflies.

Not seeing as many butterflies of any kind. Last year was a bad drought so that may have effected the number around.

25 to 50 is normal here , this is number 7 this year

Well, I'm glad to see that there are still SOME left!!

I see an assortment of butterflies on the rotten pears in my backyard. When I'm picking up the pears that have fallen on the ground, I don't touch the ones that have butterflies sitting on them. By the way, I don't use spray.

I was at Lowes looking around and I couldn't believe all the Monarchs on these Hyssop 'Blue Fortune's for sale! I had to go back to my car to get my camera. Actually, there was 3 Monarchs before I got my camera and I could only find 2 when I got back. Also, they were loaded with honeybees, but you can't see them in the photos too good. -
In the closeup (1st) of the Monarch you can barely see another one way behind it. In the second photo, one is in flight, it looks like a bird, it's wings were all straigtened out in the photo but if you look about 3:30 from it you can see another one. And then, in the 3rd photo you can see one and if you look about 10:00 from it you can see the other one again. If you wanna look for honeybees you can probably find them, they were everywhere, but I don't know if the pic here is big enuff for them.
I can put full-size photos in my Comcast webspace later if you like. I gotta go, I have a 3:15 appt. to get my hair cut.
Will

I've seen one at work and that's it. I usually have Tiger Swallowtails and I haven't seen one this year. Just a bunch of smaller butterflies and a black swallowtail or two. I'm glad I'm not the only one not noticing the lack of them this year.

Here is those photos in my Comcast webspace, they are a lot bigger, especially when you click the mouse there.

http://home.comcast.net/~metalglove/pwpimages/100_2572.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~metalglove/pwpimages/100_2573.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~metalglove/pwpimages/100_2574.JPG

I was wrong about that closeup photo, that's a honeybee not the other Monarch.

Will

Very sad news.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/sunday-review/the-year-the-monarch-didnt-appear.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

Wow, that's a huge decline in the migration to Mexico of them. Thanks for the link, LAS, it is very interesting and educational. The news about the insect-killing pesticides/chemicals and the agriculture is unnerving to say the least. I hope the Monarchs and the bees aren't on the way out.

I often forget that I have free admission to the Sophia Sach's Butterfly House with my Mobot membership. I need to make it there in the near future. It's a bit of a drive across St. Louis since I'm on the East side and it's located far west, but surely worth the trip. If anyone visits this area, I can accompany you and get you in free with my admission. Maybe I'll learn more about the Monarchs and how I can help in this area.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/butterfly-house/visit-the-butterfly-house/featured-attractions.aspx

I remember years ago being active on the Hummingbird and Butterfly forum and all the friendly members who helped me get a butterfly puddle started in my wildflower bed. I need to do this again in 2014. I can start planning it now and make it even better than the last one. A site near the pear tree would be good which borders the wildflower bed. I have many flower seeds that I've purchased that just need to be planted next Spring. "Build it and they will come!" (A monarch on my burgundy okra plant in 2010 when I had a butterfly puddle near by.)



This message was edited Nov 28, 2013 7:56 AM

I saw a monarch today!!!!!

I am hearing they have been very rare this year in the Northeast ..
I raised half dozen , and have seen 50 or so .. Good year in the midwest south and central area .. Ohio and Minnesota seem to be the big leaders this season ..

A better photo etc ,, let's try that again ..lol

I am definitely seeing a LOT more than last year.

What folk need to do is not only plant things like butterfly bushes that only feed the adults, but also the plants that belong to the milkweed family for the eggs to be laid on. Some milkweeds are more exuberant than others, so find out what works in your habitat. I gladly let the common milkweed go where it wishes, but not all can do this. I am trying Butterflyweed. Again. We'll see if it takes this time.

It is interesting seeing what flowers the adults prefer. They like the Blazing Stars, but not the Ironweed. They never go anywhere near Rose Mallow or Cow Slobber, but take nectar from the alien sedum I haven't yanked out yet.

shortleaf,

Early this year I was amazed at all the different pollinators on my natives. There were the natives (bumbles and others) and the aliens (honey), and they all looked so healthy. This last month, the honey bees in particular are just sluggish and look sickly. I do not know much about honey bees, but don't they go to their hives at night? I'd see sleeping bees on my flowers in the early morning. I'd move the flowers gently to see if they were still alive. They shifted a little and later, they were gone. But it is so odd.

I should add, I prefer native anything over the non when it comes to plants and bugs. BUT I do not mind honey bees. That local honey is good stuff! :)

brendak654,Oh when their low numbered .,like the Monarchs were last year ,, yes I count ..
I have seen at least 60 Monarchs , thus far , I quit counting at 45 ...lol?

usually only keeping score as to species ,
I saw one Red Spotted Purple early ,there are more farther south nearer the larger city areas
Other not showing ,
Buckeye (very noticeable absence,, this season
Not as many Eastern Swallowtails here ..
Small Sulphur )Saw another orange or yellow "alfalfa Sulpher today ,,
No great spangled Frit (usually one or two every Five or so years .

Of course I did get a rare showing of a Duskywing
One year I had 52 species individuals ( 2005 ?)
I believe I saw a copper BF also ,, That would be new here also ....
I miss a great many , I am sure , I can't watch all the time

Hi Chillybean, I'm glad something is doing some pollinating. I have one Persimmon tree that is about 20 feet tall and it gets persimmons every year. The funny thing is the Persimmon tree is a dioecious tree, not self-fruitful. I bet they do go back to their hives at night. I really don't know much about bees and insects in general. Heck, I'm lucky to just put on my clothes! lol
I am guessing it is bees or some insect pollinating my persimmon tree, I sure am glad it gets persimmons! I have an uncle that cut down a big, nice persimmon tree because it never got persimmons. There has been alot of controversy about honeybees getting killed by the millions due to pesticides. I expect Iowa is getting hit hard by that because there are crop fields everywhere there. - http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/intheworks/honeybee.htm Avaaz had a BIG complaint and campaign against the makers of the pesticides, I believe Bayer was a huge offender.
Sorry about the long huge copy and paste below but I didn't know what else to do, but that explains the problem a little.

------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends,


Right now, billions of bees are dying. Already, there are nowhere near enough honeybees in Europe to pollinate the crops, and in California -- the biggest food producer in the US -- beekeepers are losing 40% of their bees each year.

We're in the middle of an environmental holocaust that threatens all of us, because without pollination by bees, most plants and ⅓ of our food supply are gone.

Scientists are sounding the alarm about pesticides that are toxic to bees, and say we’re using way, way more pesticides on our crops than we need. But as with oil companies and climate change, big drug companies that sell pesticides are fighting back with corporate-funded junk science that questions the evidence, and gives politicians an excuse to delay.

Scientific studies are expensive. Avaaz may be the only crowdsourced funding model in the world able to raise enough to fund the world's first large scale, grass-roots supported, totally independent study of what's killing our bees, that decisively challenges the junk science of big pharma. The need is urgent, and if we can't do this, it's not clear who can. Let's see if we can raise a massive fund to save our bees.

Click to pledge what you can, we’ll process your donation only if we raise enough to fund a study that can go head to head with big pharma:
YES, I'LL PLEDGE $2

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $4

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $8

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $16

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $32

To pledge an amount other than the ones listed above, click here.

We’re running out of time. A new study has revealed the scary truth: in more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops. In the UK, the honeybee population is only a quarter of what is actually needed for pollination -- and although other kinds of bees are stepping in to fill the honeybee void, we’ll likely start losing them too if we keep loading our crops down with pesticides.

And it might all be for nothing: in the 70 years since pesticides were introduced, we've learned that some of them do more harm than good when it comes to cultivating our food because they kill off the natural enemies of pests. Worse still, over time many pests become immune to pesticides, forcing farmers to use more and more deadly chemicals -- often poisoning themselves in the process.

Everyone from official government agencies to scientists agree that one group of widely-used pesticides called neonicotinoids is killing bees. But chemical giants like Bayer and their supporters continue to argue against regulation of their products, presenting self-funded research they claim show pesticides aren't necessarily responsible for the bees’ deadly decline. And it's working -- in the United States, the newest battleground for the ban on deadly pesticides, the government says there is not yet enough evidence to justify a ban. If we lose in the US, Europe could follow suit and lift their own temporary hold on these dangerous chemicals.

It’s time to end the debate once and for all. When enough of us pledge, Avaaz will fund research by highly-respected scientists to fill critical gaps in knowledge. Then, we can join beekeepers and local advocacy organisations in a massive global offensive to save the bees by fueling strategies like:
Organising a media tour with our giant Bernie the bee to ensure the research shows up in the world’s biggest media outlets.
Funding public opinion polls in key agricultural countries to smash the claim that farming communities can’t survive without bee-killing chemicals.
Going after retailers to take the deadly pesticides off their shelves. It’s already happening in Europe, but we’ll get supermarkets and garden centres around the globe to follow suit.
Campaigning hard to get a game-changing anti-pesticides bill that has been lounging in the US congress passed once and for all.
Naming and shaming those pushing the bee-killing pesticides by running hard-hitting billboard and newspaper ads.
Taking legal action to stop government agencies that have approved neonicotinoid pesticides, despite evidence proving they are toxic to bees and a host of other beneficial creatures.
The bees are up against a well-oiled, resource rich machine that will do whatever it takes to ensure the profits of chemical companies and big agriculture don’t take a hit. Pledge now to support a massive effort to save the bees -- Avaaz will only process donations if we raise enough to make a difference:
YES, I'LL PLEDGE $2

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $4

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $8

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $16

YES, I'LL PLEDGE $32

To pledge an amount other than the ones listed above, click here.

If the bees die out, the world we hand off to our grandchildren will look very different -- apples and almonds could become exotic foods in our supermarkets. But we’re making incredible progress in the fight to protect our precious pollinators: last year 2.4 million Avaaz members were part of a massive movement in Europe that convinced the EU Parliament to place a 2-year ban on the worst bee-killing chemicals. If our movement joins forces now to clear up the false debate that’s stalling our legislators, we could win urgently-needed pesticide bans all over the world and end the chemical war on bees once and for all!

With hope and determination,

Ricken, Mia, Emma, Allison, Christoph, Mais, Emily, Ian, Jeremy and the whole Avaaz team


MORE INFORMATION:

Pesticides halve bees' pollen gathering ability, research shows (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/29/bees-pollen-pesticides-ban

Honeybee shortage threatens crop pollination in Europe (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25656283

Pesticides 'making bees smaller' (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/20/pesticides-making-bees-smaller

U.S. funds research to reduce use of pesticides harmful to bees (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/epa-honeybees-idUSL2N0KI1QM20140108

Chemical giants go to court, bees go to Washington, and giant carpenter bees (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/04/bees-buzzfeeds-pesticides-ban-congress

One-Third of U.S. Honeybee Colonies Died Last Winter, Threatening Food Supply (Wired)
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/winter-honeybee-losses/

Pesticide Lobby Spends Millions To Defend Chemicals Tied To Bee Deaths (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/pesticide-lobby-bees_n_2980870.html

Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain (The Nation)
http://www.thenation.com/article/178804/warning-signs-how-pesticides-harm-young-brain




Avaaz.org is a 34-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

You are getting this message because you signed "STOP BELO MONTE—NO MEGA-DAM IN THE AMAZON" on 2011-01-28 using the email address inventedwheel@yahoo.com.
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe.

To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).
--------------------------------------------------------------
That was from an email from Avaaz this March 25th, 2014
I don't send money but I do support them with my vote/email address on occasion, I did with this too. I can't stand the thought of not having honeybees.
Will

Recently had a flurry of monarchs in this region. I didn't take pics because I was too busy watching them. Saw them on the bike trail around Horseshoe Lake in Granite City, IL.

We've been relived to see 5 or 6 monarchs here in Maine. But late September seems really late. I assume the late appearances in the Midwest are similarly unusual?

LAS

Saw five monarchs yesterday in SE Missouri.

We saw no monarchs in 2015 and 2016, but this year we've made 4 sitings. Could be the same individual. I hope not!

I am seeing one every few days , Not a lot staying for a while here . I have seen somewhere around 15 or so thus far

I swear I saw some a couple a month or so back. Is that possible? One day last week I saw three and have not seen any since.

I have been noticing some butterflies, some monarchs, landing on fallen pears, but mostly the hummers and dragonflies. It's so dry here. I need to do better keeping the bird bath filled. I've noticed fewer insect pests this year too. It's also more like Sept. than Aug.

I saw 5 monarchs today - that makes my total of 8 for August.

Two more sitings! This is 9 days after my post. Things are definitely improving.

We found THREE milkweed plants after sewing a half pound of seed last year and the year before.... We do have an orange butterfly weed, and that's where I made one siting.

When I found any caterpillars the past several years their usually on Cynachum vine , A considered invasive , and is , however , that is what the butterflies got used to along fences and so forth is my guess ,
I will do a vine tower eventually ,
Not many sightings maybe 3 in as many weeks ,

The last 3 days I have seen about 2 Monarch's a day and I have been trying to keep count for August - now I'm at 14. Of course they are most attracted to the flowers (Orange cosmos, ZINNIA'S, tall Mexican sunflower).

My Tithonia are only starting to bloom
I was trimming a privet with cynachum vines on it , had to quit ,
Photo the reason

Awesome pic ju!

Here was another nibbling cynachum tips in the aster

and ,, Thank you green