This Year\'s Monarchs

Are you seeing any in your gardens yet?

I don't keep a butterfly year list like I do for birds, but I am thinking I should start just to have something to refer back to.

I've noticed some species, but no Monarchs. More surprising, I saw my first of the year Viceroy which seems incredibly early. Often I do not see those until late summer.

We don't get many Monarchs, even in a normal year - I really, really want to add more Butterfly plants (some of mine died) and find areas to plant Milkweeds.

The early March storms in Mexico really took a toll on the population and apparently the Northward migration has been slower.
http://monarchwatch.org/blog/

But according to the latest report from Journey North, May 26th, they've made a lot of progress in the last week or two due to south winds and now they're all the way up to Minnesota and beyond. YAY...Go Little Monarchs!!

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/spring2016/20/monarch-butterfly-migration052616.html

It's June 21 and I think I've seen just two monarchs here in our southwest Ohio garden. My various milkweeds are all in bloom and I think I have just one fritillary nectaring this week. Oh, and a few cabbage whites. A very dismal turnout so far this summer.

Anybody else have some butterflies to report?

I finally saw my first Monarch on Saturday flitting among the Butterflyweed. We've seen several Black Swallowtails and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Lots of small butterflies, the sulfurs, azures and skippers.

My Swamp Milkweed is just opening up and the butterflyweed has been in bloom for a little while. The Common along the roads are blooming, but I am waiting for those in the yard. I tried transplanting some Whorled Milkweed from next to the road, but I do not think any made it.

I am still not seeing Monarchs. I had a couple of swallowtails this week and some cabbage whites and a couple of Frits. That's it.

I noticed that Journey North is asking everyone to report every monarch they see this year. I believe this all inclusive reporting is new. Here's the link if anyone wants to report: https://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/index.html

Also it seems like the butterfly/hummingbird forum here on Dave's is pretty quiet. Did everyone move to a different forum or website?

Picture of my butterfly-less garden:

These are a few of the Monarchs that I have seen in my yard this year. Not as many as usual. We need to plant more flowers to attract them.

I saw my first Monarch couple of days ago on my butterfly bush back home. Enroute Northeastern region I thought I saw some fly by Monarch.

I have 5th instars in MW. This one is wandering off the food source for a safe place to form chrysalis. 😃