Have You Seen Any Monarchs?

[so lucky]

I have been seeing monarch butterflies just fluttering by, singly, headed vaguely to the southwest. I think they are coming out of the woods to the east of us. Just about any time of day that I look around, I can spot a solitary Monarch aimlessly wandering overhead. I'm gratified to see at least some Monarchs.

 

[Smart Red]

Yes, I've been seeing one or two here and there. What I didn't see this year were any caterpillars munching on my milkweed as they usually do.

 

[baymule]

Ummmm...... don't think I have. I don't have any flowers blooming except for the weed flowers. So, nothing to attract them. One year I had lots of marigolds blooming, at our old house and we had more butterflies than the butterfly museum.

 

[catjac1975]

I have not seen a one this year.

 

[thistlebloom]

I saw one at a nursery a few weeks back, but I didn't think they traveled this way. ???

 

[digitS']

Here's some information on the Monarchs and their migration routes:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/spmap.htm

Spring and Fall links are along the left of the webpage. Clickable map is on the right.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I think I saw one last Friday, but am not sure (it was pretty far away)

One notable thing I HAVE seen is an unusual number of pretty rare for around here butterflies showing up this year. While there are several dozen species that in theory live around this area. In practice there are less than ten or so one seeds with some regularity. Monarchs are indeed one though pretty far down the list (Top positions go to Red Admirals, Cabbage whites, Cloudless Sulfurs, Common Skippers and Swallowtails (both Tiger and Eastern Black) The Monarchs are somewhere in the " a few each year" group with the blues and the hairstreaks. And that's usually it; everything else is a "once or twice in my life" thing. And there are several where the times I found caterpillars and raised them was the ONLY time I ever saw that butterfly (Spicebrush Swallowtail for example, and Mourning Cloak.) But this year there have been quite a few of those onces. I've seen at least three Fritillaries, which is a first.

 

[journey11]

Yes, I've seen a few this year! Last year I don't recall seeing any. And we had no swallowtail caterpillars last year, which is very odd for me because I always have dill, anise, parsley and fennel in abundance and they love that. This year we did have a few though.

My grandmother has all of her flowerbeds converted to easy-to-care-for native plants. She will usually get scores of monarch caterpillars in her garden which will climb up and attach their chrysalises to the brick wall of her house. Last year she had NONE. This year they are back again. I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I go to visit her. I really want to show you guys her flowers and pond!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Did you actually mean the eaves of her house, or does she have a lot of protruding brickwork? I ask only because Monarchs are a "hanging" pupator (they attach them selves at the top (actually their bottom) and hang down) so attaching themselves to a vertical surface couldn't actually happen. Swallowtails can attach themselves to one since they are "sling" pupators (they make a silk pad and girdle and then actually hand off at an angle) And a 3rd instar Eastern Black swallowtail caterpillar (one molt from the last) DOES look a lot like a monarch one (just chunkier and without the antennae). I'm not saying you are wrong, but are you sure you aren't seeing a mixture?

 

[Carol Dee]

I have been seeing a few more than I did all summer. But I never did see the caterpillars (Or tomato horn worm!) Strange.