"I counted 21 monarchs in the yard early this afternoon — more than the 12 or so I observed yesterday. They were visiting zinnias, Mexican Sunflowers, and Joe Pye Weed."
Lakeville, MN August 30, 2015

Building Lipids as They Travel
During fall migration, monarchs must find the food they need not only to fuel their travels but also to build sufficient lipid reserves for overwintering. They'll eat little to nothing during their 5-month stay in Mexico. A recently published paper by Dr. Lincoln Brower shows how lipid reserves increase as the monarchs move southward:

Stopover Sites
The places monarchs feed and rest during migration, known as stopover sites, are crucial. People can help monarchs by creating backyard stopover habitat.

Looking Ahead
Get ready for a change. The season's first strong cold front and accompanying north winds are predicted for Monday, September 7th. Watch the wind sweep the monarchs southward.

"The monarchs were (almost) all males. After veiwing the 115 images I took I see only one or two possible females."

Dr. Andy Davis, who has studied male to female ratios in monarchs, was intrigued. He wrote about this phenomenon in his blog.

Thomas Ford

Public-Private Project for Pollinators
Minnesota kicks off five-year effort to restore butterfly and bee habitat in the St. Croix River watershed.