Monarchs

Last year we didn't see a single monarch. I heard on MPBN that their numbers had declined drastically. We're nurturing all milkweed we can find. TODAY I SAW A MONARCH!!!! What about the rest of you?

LAS

That's good news, LAS. I have not even seen one Monarch this summer, even though I do cultivate a few asclepias, and when I find a wild milkweed plant, I do not pull it out.

Have many milkweeds down in the wild part of my yard, but no Monarchs......lots of fritillaries.....

Hi, I've seen one monarch in my MidAtlantic garden, but am now getting an egg on about every sprout. I haven't had the time to be here looking for the adults.

I saw one adult near my son's blueberry fields....

Happy to report that we've seen at least 2 more monarchs. Maybe 3. It's a little hard to tell whether or not your seeing the same monarch for the second time. :-)

But this does seem late. The milkweed flowers are long gone.

Well, the timing here is such that they come when my big milkweed is usually all yellowed. They really seem to like the younger sprouts that come up later in summer, for the caterpillars.

One Monarch flew over my garden yesterday.....I have mostly frits this year.....

First and only Monarch we have seen this year

Who's the cutie in the photo?

We saw none in 2015 and 2016, but have made 4 sitings this year. Hopefully that's not just one individual! Have planted milkweed seed, but not sure if it's taken hold, as it was in a field.

I think I am averaging about one per year. Sometimes I can't get close enough to verify that it's not a Viceroy instead however.

I am pretty sure I've seen monarchs twice this year (or the same monarch two times)--next town over from you, RosemaryK. That's in my yard. In my neighbor's "Monarch Waystation" yard (she has a double lot and a simply astonishing range of native plants) there was one a few inches from my face. Resting on a liatris, I think.

So good, fFaintly Macabre! I saw anoter one in early September on my plants.

One challenge is to eradicate black swallowwart, a milkweed relative in a vine. I have learned it is toxic to the Monarch. It is everywhere, but at least I can stop it from spreading much in my yard.

Thought I spotted one yesterday but its markings were slightly different--after studying it for a bit I decided it was a Painted Lady. PL made the most of the zinnias, pink asters and Jerusalem Artichoke flowers....

We've had lots of monarchs this year, mostly sitting on a clump of Giant Zinnias (6ft+ tall). Hope they make it to Mexico.

It's only May, but I think I saw a small Monarch. I've never seen any other than full size. I think they "hatch" fully grown, right? I looked at this one long and hard. The colors were right. The design seemed right, but I wasn't sure. Is there something that looks almost like a Monarch but isn't?

There are other orange and black butterflies, but the color lines aren't as distinct (as on the painted ladies).

Saw one on a tree in flower--Tilia americana, I think--day before yesterday. Just over the line in Lexington. One butterfly but that tree, which was pretty fragrant, had dozens of bees.

Yes, FaintlyMacabre, we have a lot of orange and black but with a "dot" pattern rather than the distinctive monarch pattern. Is that what you're thinking of?

I saw our second Monarch today. One in June and one today. Today's was normal size.

Two more this week. That's four (maybe 5) this season. Steady improvement since I started this thread in 2014. Have others seen improvement?

This message was edited Aug 28, 2018 12:58 PM

Las14, last September, we vacationed in Ogunquit, ME and there were a lot of Monarchs and other butterflies there. A beautiful area with lots of gardens!
Here in NJ, this year has been a good Monarch year for me. I've raised about 80 caterpillars mostly from my yard. Nearby there is a good size patch of milkweed I've been using to add to my supply and they also have quite a few caterpillars and monarchs there. I started raising them because they were being hunted and not making it. Same with Black Swallowtails. Both are parasitized by different types of flies and wasps. Both are hunted in my yard by assassin bugs and others.
These are some pictures I took last year in Maine. The last picture is a special garden planted along the marginal way donated by a neighboring house and rehabilitated.

PS - Viceroys look like smaller Monarchs


This message was edited Sep 8, 2018 7:57 PM

Turns out it's in excess of a variety - it was a spot as well, situated in what is presently southern France. Legend holds that Ruler William of Orange (later Lord William III) was so revered by a few early European pioneers to North America that they handed down the name "Ruler" to our bright orange and superb butterfly in his honor