Date: 03/18/2019

Number: 6

Today was a lovely monarch day! The temperature was in the mid to upper 60's throughout the day, sunny with clouds, 8mph winds from the east, with around 30% humidity (low for us at this time of year).

At around 12:30pm I observed a female monarch looking for milkweed in our yard and upper pasture. I did not see her find milkweed or lay eggs, but I did find a milkweed sprout with beautiful monarch eggs on it! Specifically, 6 eggs on the milkweed itself and 4 eggs on a nearby non-milkweed plant leaf. I added a report to the Monarch Egg (FIRST sighted) category with a photo.

Later at around 1:15 I saw another female monarch nectaring on false garlic flowers. She spent a good deal of time doing this and then began looking for milkweed. At one point she paused her search and I thought she was sunning, but soon a male monarch sailed right past us both, so I think it was an action to avoid his detection. She then resumed her slow, fluttering pattern on her milkweed search.

At 2:00 I walked to the bottom pastureland and found a very faded female monarch fluttering low looking for milkweed. She slowly traveled from the bottomland to our upper pastures, nectaring briefly on false garlic flowers in between her patient searching. A male monarch spotted her and took chase. They flew upward swirling around and headed for the nearby woodland trees. She must have eluded him, for he soon was sailing around near me again.

As I went out to drive to town around 5pm, I saw a male monarch flying buoyantly over the yard and nearby pastures.

This is a photo of the beautiful female monarch nectaring on false garlic flowers (Nothoscordum bivalve) ~ petals closed till later in the afternoon. These humble little flowers are a main nectar source in our area for monarchs and other butterflies.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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