Date: 04/10/2012

Number: 1

While home sick from work today, I looked out at my front flowerbed and saw
an unexpected sight: a very early, worn Monarch, frantically ovipositing on
my native orange butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa). These plants are only
up about 7" at the moment, but she is making good use of them. In fact, she
is still outside now, patrolling the flowerbed and probably hoping more
milkweed will magically appear. I do have some swamp and purple milkweed in
the back, but they aren't up even as high as the butterflyweed yet. This is
one of the earliest monarchs I've seen, and certainly one of the earliest
to leave eggs. Whether they are fertile or not remains to be seen, but I'd
better stock up on milkweed if this is a sign of things to come!

Courtesy of Don Davis

Woodbridge, VA

Latitude: 38.6 Longitude: -77.3

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