Date: 04/06/2016

Number: 1

At around 2pm I saw from my window that there was another monarch nectaring on the yellow thistle in our back yard, so I went outside to get a look. Well, this was an an amazing fellow! In the photo you can see how he is missing large portions of his left-side wings. But he could fly very well and between nectaring stops at this energizing thistle, he made fast fly-overs in the nearby pastures. A wonderful and intrepid monarch!

This tattered monarch is truly an example of the strong spirit these monarchs have. It always impresses me to see the monarchs arrive in the spring with the females so determined to find good milkweed on which to lay their eggs. They often are seemingly frail with faded wings, but they carry on. This year I saw more females nectaring than I had in the past it seems. It has been pretty dry in our area, though the wildflowers and milkweed are abundant. I thought it took longer for our milkweed to come up too, though right now there is lot of fresh milkweed available. Each monarch I see is important to me and I am always glad to see them.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
Contact Observer

The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.