How many monarchs this year?

Last year I think I saw 3 monarchs here, the whole fall, one at a time. This year I am getting between 2 and 4 per day.

I am not a world class monarch photographer btw

My entire garden is full of Monarch butterflies right now.

I guess I am just not on the path. Still 3 or 4 a day. Prairie out here, except my place.

Gypsi
my milkweed plants didn't die last year.
I had lots of new plants in the spring and they keep reseeding all summer.
I have lots of milkweed plants all over ... maybe that is the reason I have so many.
Anyway, it is so nice to finally see them.

My milk weeds didn't die, and I do have other pollinator draws, most prominently the gregg's blue mist flowers, but I am in the middle of a prairie that has virtually nothing in blooms except for my yard, not much going on out here unless it rains. I have had some monarchs every day, and lots of gulf fritterarys, small black butterflies, butters (?), and Giant swallowtails.

This year has been the best for Monarchs, Queens, and others in my garden. I have had tons! I had one Monarch cat reach butterfly status. (Yay!) and I've had tons of migrators on the blue mistflower that has taken over my flower bed. Not the best pictures, those are on my phone, but a few anyway.

Congratulations Stephanie, we are seeing some here too.

Best I've had in several but nothing like before the 2005 drought. Beautiful pics Stephanie. Gonna have to look up species on 2nd one

If you look closer to these pictures you could see one of two monarchs in each Milkweed flower. What a show this year.

Your pictures are so much better than mine. Caught these in the milkweed a couple of days ago. If I get close they take off.

This message was edited Nov 3, 2016 10:50 AM

Yes we are having a good migration, they have been around here and the other gardens as well.
I hope they will have a good year and their numbers will increase.

So do I

I've seen a few monarchs but would probably see more if I spent more time near my perennial bed. Saw 2 cats on one milkweed plant last night. With the cold spell coming, hope they make it.

Now here's something that strikes me as a little strange. I was looking out my French doors (no, that's not strange) the other day and saw a monarch fluttering by and landing on the doorknob to an adjacent French door. The door knobs are shiny and gold-ish. But what the what? It must have lingered for at least 10 minutes. And no nectar there! Any ideas? Was it just the shiny color? I still had Milkweed, Frostweed, Gregg's Mist (boy, do I have Gregg's mist) and other such stuff.

Hello Joan, the monarch was probably sunning herself. I am glad you are seeing more of them, things have improved around here too, we have had a lot of monarchs and queens and many others at all of our butterfly gardens.

I have only seen queens and sulphurs for the last week, I think the monarchs have gone from my area.

I've been scared to look at my perennial bed after our alleged freeze. As of last Tuesday or Wednesday there was still a big cat on the remains of the milkweed. I told him to skidaddle about a week or so earlier but there he was the night before we were supposed to dip to 32 or less. Surely that had to be too cold for survival. But I'm new at this so could be wrong.

It is strange that the leaves are just now turning colors on my Chinese Pistache trees. They're usually the 1st to go. And altho I've been ducking acorns for the longest time, my oaks have just started to turn color and shed. Even my oakleaf hyndrangea still has all of its leaves, some still green.

Guess it's just one of those years.

Things haven't done as well as far as color around here too, some of my trees and shrubs hardly get any color this year.

my sweetgum has color now, not much else. I don't know where caterpillars go when it freezes. Mine disappeared before freeze last year, I assume to turn into cocoons. This year I don't think I had any, but I had a few monarchs. I had a TON of Gulf Fritterary caterpillars, they hung cocoons all over my house eaves

Yes, the leaves haven't done well this year, and if so, very late indeed.

Freeze will get my A.Tuberosa

I bring my potted milkweeds into the garage during freezes.

I did a mini greenhouse on the front porch for potted chrysanthemums and shrubs I hadn't gotten planted. It was not entirely a success. I have a potted desert willow I hope I didn't kill. Big pot, wasn't cheap, but no time to get in the ground