Date: 08/05/2015

Number: 5

I have seen about 5-6 monarchs in early August in my back yard and in the alley rain garden I have. They are especially interested in the flowering swamp milk weed (Asclepias incarnate--I looked it up and am happy to learn it is native to Minnesota--as it it important to provide native milkweed per your state). I was reading that research shows that Scarlet or tropical milkweed that gets sold at a lot of the big box stores increases the incidence of deadly parasite OE, (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha), which probably interferes with the Monarch’s fall migratory habits.) I have planted both the pink swamp milkweed and the Asclepias syriaca, “common milkweed” in my alley garden, and I have seen them on purple cone flower as well. They land on the milkweed flowers but also seem to be crawling around on the leaves up to the stems. I have not seen any monarch caterpillars this year--though I did last year. My neighbor is raising a few caterpillars inside and harvesting my milk weed to feed them. I saw one monarch with a tattered wing, but it was on my milkweed and seemed to be able to still fly.

Saint Paul, MN

Latitude: 44.9 Longitude: -93.1

Observed by: Martha
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