Date: 08/17/2012

Number: 30

Observed thirty or more Monarchs, many freshly emerging at the site. Noted many pairs breeding. Eggs and larvae on Asclepias incarnata, A. syrica, and A. tuberosa. Dozens and dozens of American and Painted Ladies on site, possibly more than 100.
I took lots of photos.

The Monarchs begin nectaring very early in the day and continue for approximately twelve hours. I often view the Monarchs between 7 am and 7 pm. The Monarchs are the last butterfly species riding the air currents and nectaring on Buddlejas into early sunset. Monarchs are even quite active on hazy and cloudy days with consistently warm temperatures. In spite of misty drizzle, light rain and wind, the Monarchs appear and nectar!

As of today, Aug. 20, I observed a few dozen or more Monarchs in the garden with continued breeding. Following recent rains, fresh leaves have appeared on the stripped stems of Asclepias incarnata. Six new A. incarnata were added to the garden yesterday.

Aug. 18 photo of evening cloud cover and boats in harbor at Benjamin River near butterfly site in Sedgwick, Maine.

Sedgwick, ME

Latitude: 44.3 Longitude: -68.6

Observed by: Deb
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