Is anyone else seeing migrating Monarchs today? Our backyard must have at least a hundred....and they seem to be stopping for a drink, some nectar, and a little rest. I just noticed them about an hour ago. Could they be moving ahead of the cool, wet weather headed our way?
Monarchs
You are so lucky! I haven't seen but a couple here and there and I think those are the ones I'm releasing lol.
Can you get a picture? I would love to see that many at once.
We've had huge swarms of smaller types, but no Monarchs.... yet.
Tried to get pics after I posted, but they just looked like "leaves" from my upstairs deck. The ones in flight looked like teeny birds in photos! They were mostly up in the oak trees, with some swooping down on a large blue duranta...sky flower. Some were even landing on the walks and patio. That's how I first noticed them. I saw them out the window at lunch on the walk. I have all kinds of blooming plants, plus milkweed and butterfly vine....but only a few appeared to be attracted to the duranta. They seemed to be moving north to south...literally....across the backyards. I went out front and watched them above the trees, but the concentration was in the backyards. We back to a small greenbelt and are close to Barton Creek, right off Loop 360. The backyard is mostly covered by large oak trees.....
I went out earlier and sprayed the tops of my plants, thinking maybe they were looking for water. They then by-passed those plants and gathered on the branches of my neighbor's trees...south of us. It's sprinkling here now. I wish I had actually counted, but there were too many, I was too fascinated, and they kept coming...tho not as many as the first wave I noticed. I've been outside to "protect" them from the birds...but I didn't see any trying to get them. Maybe they taste bad to birds.....?
Anyway, it was a sight to see.....
We saw a few here today at the plant swap at my house. Plus a bunch of queens, snouts, and one giant swallowtail.
I've had a ton of butterflies this past two weeks. I saw a small one I've never seen before, but couldn't get a pic. They're nervous little critters! It was small, about one inch long with a swallowtail adding anot inch or more. It was cocoa brown with gold and darker chocolate irridescent markings. Small, but really pretty and with the longest tails I've seen on one.Lots of the larger black swallowtails, some sulpher yellows and quite a few monarchs. I still have plumbago, salvia, penta, canna, buddleia, abelia, hamelia, duranta sedum, begonia, plumeria and hibiscus blooming, so the butterfiles are having a feast.
crow....as soon as the rain stopped Sat, they started flying again...and still heading south. Yesterday it was gloomy and sprinkling, so I figured the show was over, but high up above the oaks were a few. They're not really stopping to "eat" like I thought they would. Found the butterfly website and looks like they're migrating a little early over our area. Looking at your list of plants in the garden and wondering.....I had a lot of those in past years. Didn't plant much this year because we were gone a lot. Do you think they go back to where they know there's food? Now I'll really feel bad.....!
Bubbles, yes I do think they return to where the food's been in the past. I saw a special on National Geographic about hummers that were banded (must have been teeny-tiny bands) that returned year after year to the same feeding staions and plant areas. The commentary also mentioned butterflies, but it would have to be the next generation on the butterflies, because they don't live long enough for an individual to make the migration more than once. Guess you're getting into "genetic" memory there, which I'm very interested in, but haven't read much about it for butterflies! The hummers this year preferred my Black and Blue Salviar guaranitica over every other plant that was blooming.
The Monarchs who do reach the area in Mexico where they overwinter can, if they survive, return in the spring. The Mexico-bound ones don't mate until early spring and are the only generation that survives more than 2-3 weeks. So some of the newly hatched Monarchs (about 46) that I released during the last week could possibly return to Texas to lay eggs for the next generation next year.
Wow...that's fascinating, Linda....
And Crow...I answered your last post, but must have not hit "send." I'm hooked now and will have to find more info on the Monarchs.
(Oh, and it's officially fall here now...husband just killed a scorpion in the entryway..........)
I only saw one today, but it was huge and gorgeous.
How I will miss them. :o(
I've seen four or five Monarchs so far. Also seen some other large butterflies but I don't know what kind they are. I still have lots of plants blooming for them.
Lin
Only one of my favorite butterflies ever! We had them in Michigan as well. I don't know....do butterflies live in all parts of the US regardless of breed?
I've not seen any monarchs here in San Antone....have thousands of that moth-like one that has swarmed the area twice this year so far.
yesterday my yard was full of different butterflies - monarchs, yellow swallowtails, fritilleries, sulphurs so I knew that the cold weather was coming. Today it is about 50something, cold north wind and overcast. The birds and butterflies know when the weather is going to get colder and they move south like mad.
Ann
I read in an article that they don't start migrating until the temps drop in the 50s. But I seem to remember as a kid them being around in the summer. Of course I don't think our temps ever got as hot as ours do now waaay back then.
TNN, Monarchs are even in Canada and reports of them in Spain, wherever there is milkweed, there are Monarchs...they are the international traveler.
Great picture Linda.
I've been seeing tons of snout nose butterflys...as well as a few late sulphurs and I'm now seeing alot of monarchs resting in the back garden....so pretty.. :)
Well, I've been running around San Antonio and areas between there and my area the last couple of days and the Monarchs have been very rarely seen. On a field trip to the Medina River Natural Area, I finally got to see the snout butterfly caterpillars, however. Wish I'd brought my camera. They were all over the Spiny Hackberry trees there. Many were pupating, hanging from the leaves like itty-bitty Christmas ornaments. The variety of plants is very diverse out there. The parks people leading the field trip had an old list of plants, but many plants weren't on the list and a few were a bit difficult to identify, even for us native plant people.
Wow...my back garden was full of butterflys today. I managed to get a few shots of some monarchs hanging around the indigo spires....and a beelzebub bee-eater was also hanging around...probably after my honey bees...
Melanie
another...
and a shadowy fritterllary on the pink penta... :)
and one lovely sulphur enjoying the indigo spires too.. :)
