Date: 05/20/2008

Number: 1

Wild large milkweed in the garden is developing buds. Marsh milkweed is a little further behind. I have seen no adult butterflies as yet this year anywhere in the area (Lancaster County, South East Pennsylvania). Just to make sure I checked my milkweed leaves and found no eggs. My marsh milkweed is in the same small garden as the wild large milkweed, perhaps 6 ft. apart, and the monarchs clearly preferred the marsh milkweed for egg deposition last year.

I have see NO MONARCHS this year. I have seen Question Marks, Yellow Tiger Swallowtails, Cabbage butterflies, Spicebush Swallowtails, Silver-spotted skippers. Attached find a Question Mark that was hanging around just begging me to take its photo after a long winter's nap.

Just an interesting tidbit..... My 23 year-old grandson works occasionally for a lobster fisherman off the coast of New Hampshire, and last fall, while fishing several miles off the coast, he spotted a monarch flying by, then a few more, until there was a trail of monarchs overhead on their way south. I wonder if they were taking a short cut from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod....?

Millersville, PA

Latitude: 40 Longitude: -76.4

Observed by: Kenneth
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