Date: 04/30/2012
Number: 1
Our weather continues to achieve warmer temperatures both during the day and at night.
Upper 80's and low 90's are our highs during the day, with our temperatures around 70 degrees at night.
We can feel that our hot summer is just around the corner and our enjoyable spring is rapidly fading away.
Most all of the early vegetation is showing the signs of the lack of rain over the past few weeks.
Indian Blankets and Mexican Hats are the current dominant wildflowers in our area and are still trying to paint a colorful landscape.
Strong southerly breezes for the past few days have pushed most of the monarchs farther north now.
We still see several monarchs a day and most all of them are 1st generation in origin.
On a walk this weekend we still saw yet one more faded and tattered traveler from Mexico, a rare sight lately.
It was soaring with the wind and it was difficult to determine its gender.
1st generation monarchs continue to amaze us with their brilliant colors.
It makes them so easy to spot from most any distance.
They fly with such energy and are quite a contrast to their faded relatives.
Within the past week we have also begun to see signs of the 2nd generation evolving around us.
We have spotted fresh eggs and young larvae on our local milkweed that has already endured the 1st generation lifecycle.
In a matter of days we most likely will be seeing that lifecycle begin again.
Unfortunately we have also witnessed one of the monarchs most damaging parasitoids.
The tachinid fly (Lespesia archippivora ) has infected numerous larvae around our house and kept them from achieving pupation.
We isolate the fly pupae when it's discovered and prevent them from returning to the milkweed patch
When the flies emerge we euthanize them and hope that in a small way we are helping the larvae around us.
Driftwood, TX
Latitude: 30.1 Longitude: -98
Observed by: Chuck
Contact Observer
The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.
