Monarchs

[Rod in Smiths Falls, ON]

They are steadily accumulating in my woodlot. On Wednesday there were a lot of them when I led a group of walnut growers through on a tour, but I dismissed them with the quip: "I ordered deer flies and this is what they sent."

Today when we drove the golf cart into the woods, the air suddenly filled with the critters. They seem to cluster on the leaves of young hard maples in sunny clearings, though they don"t appear to eat or breed while on the trees.

We spent some time watching them on several occasions today. Endangered species, eh? I, for one, wouldn"t mind seeing them like this on a regular basis. Just hope they hang around for the Plowing Match on September 18-22.

 

[Randy-IA]

I doubt if they will still be there . I usually get the monarch migration here in Iowa about mid to late september . I've had millions of them in my windbreak trees before . They stick around for a couple or three days and then are gone . It's a pretty incredible sight ! ...Randy

 

[suptscottyb]

The " Chino checker spotted" butterfly is endangered/protected here. So, one day when I come home from work I see this geek with a clipboard and a pith helmet on his hands and knees near the end of my drive. I stop and watch and decide I gotta know what this is about. He says they want to put a cell tower on the hill at the end of the road. He's checking to be sure no butterflies will be adversly affected by the project...I asked if he found any of the endangered butterflies - he said no. So, I invited him to look at the grill on the pickup - I'd been driving thru them for the last twenty miles - sure enough, there were more than you'ld care to count. LOL

 

[Davis In SC]

I think they migrate to Mexico for the winter.. That sure does seem like a long way to fly..

 

[MarkB_MI]

They feed primarily on milkweed. Don't mow any patches of milkweed if you want to keep them around.

A major gathering place for them is Point Pelee, Ontario. Here's an interesting article from Pt. Pelee National Park.
Monarch butterflies at Pt. Pelee.

 

[Mike (WA)]

Remember a couple of years ago hearing on the news that there was a freak cold snap in Mexico while they were there, and millions of them froze to death.