Date: 03/18/2018

Number: 1

This is a second follow-up photo/report to my Monarch Adult Sighted 03/18/2018 report.

This photo shows one of the male monarchs seen today as he nectars from a false garlic flower. The males do a lot of zooming around and so need a lot of nectar to keep them energized. Today I saw one of them strongly defend his extensive false garlic patch from a yellow swallowtail butterfly ( who was possibly a bit perplexed by the whole event). He actually chased the other butterfly a good distance into the woods and then went back to overseeing his nectar garden ~ as well as checking out the milkweed zones nearby on a regular basis for female monarchs.

I also saw two male monarchs disputing who had jurisdiction over the three verbena plants now blooming in pots by our house. It seemed rather good-natured and when one would go away the other would show up. They tussled in the air a bit right above the plants, but since each also had the job of zooming around, there was always a good opportunity for one or the other to get some sips of verbena nectar.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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