Date: 06/27/2014

Number: 1

I spent several hours in southeastern Guilford County, NC today, 6/27/14, looking for milkweeds and any signs of Monarchs. I found five of the six species of milkweeds currently known to be in the county, including Butterfly (milk)weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Clasping Milkweed (A. Amplexicaulis) [1 stem with the top clipped off], Common Milkweed (A. syriaca), Green-flowered Milkweed (A. viridiflora), and Whorled Milkweed (A. verticillata). All except the Clasping Milkweed were in bloom. I searched for leaves that looked like they had been eaten (by anything, not just Monarchs) but found none, nor did I find any caterpillars.

Today was the worst for butterflies yet. I covered most of the area by car, driving slowly along rural roads and watching roadside plants, getting out only when I saw patches of milkweeds. In addition to the milkweeds, which should have been covered with butterflies (especially the Common and Butterfly Milkweeds), I also found a Buttonbush in bloom. No one was home! All I saw were 8 Cabbage Whites, 2 Sleepy Oranges, and 5 Eastern Tailed-Blues, all in the roadside weeds. That’s it.

Courtesy of Carolina Leps

Guilford County, NC

Latitude: 36.1 Longitude: -79.8

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