Date: 04/10/2018

Number: 15

We had a cool front with some rain come in this last weekend of April 7-8. This took our night time temperature down to 40 degrees F and kept our daytime temperature below 55 degrees F on Sunday, April 8. I did not see any monarchs over those two days. On Monday, April 9, I saw one monarch in the morning. I checked on the monarch larvae over those days and they seemed fine, just a bit chilled.

So today I did not expect to see this many monarchs! There seemed to be a new influx of them (and maybe a few had just been waiting out the cold in the nearby woodlands). Some had very faded and tattered wings and some had brighter wings.

At noon it was 70 degrees F, sunny, lightly breezy with 41% humidity. I saw at least 7 individual monarchs flying, nectaring, resting, and egg-laying. I continued to see this same activity as the day warmed up a bit more. By 3pm it was 74 degrees F, still sunny and breezy with 34% humidity. Standing in one spot I saw 6 monarchs flying about nearby, nectaring on flowering milkweed and yellow thistles, fluttering and looking for milkweed and laying eggs. This strong activity diminished as it got to be late afternoon and the temperatures went down again.

I followed at different times 2 faded, tattered-winged females as they rested, looked for milkweed, and laid eggs. They were quite aged and fragile-looking, but yet had such strong spirits to complete their missions.

Our mystery nectar tree is back in action giving off a heavenly fragrance and apparently delicious nectar. Today it had bees and other flying insects buzzing around it, including a thirsty male monarch. This is a photo of him as he nectars from these tiny flowerets on this beneficial but still (to me) mystery tree.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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