Date: 03/22/2019

Number: 28

Another wonderful, very active monarch day! Thankfully, more fresh, native milkweed (Asclepias viridis) is continuing to emerge to meet the monarchs' needs.

Today was sunny, with temperatures in the 60's and 70's, light winds, and low humidity (starting at about 70% at 11am to 30% during the afternoon hours). The monarchs I observed were variously flying, milkweed-seeking, egg-laying, resting/sunbathing, nectaring on wildflowers, and mating.

Around 11:00am as I walked in our middle pasture, I saw seven individual female monarchs fluttering low looking for milkweed in an area of about 3 acres. As I continued to walk around the pastures, I saw males flying and a mated pair flying then resting in a tree. I saw a female who was milkweed-seeking get swooped on by a male, but as they flew upwards, she eluded him by flying through the leafy branches of a tree (a common tactic). And I saw more females as they looked for milkweed. Just in this one outing I saw at least 20 individual monarchs.

These monarchs are so happy-making! They sail around, they flutter looking for milkweed, and they nectar from wildflowers ~ currently most especially false garlic flowers, wild blackberry blossoms, and yellow thistles. Some get startled and some flutter next to you and some sail right past you. They go about independently, but also have frequent encounters with each other, seeming to very much enjoy the company of other monarchs nearby.

Just briefly as I went out into our front yard around 2pm I watched and followed a female monarch as she nectared on multiple false garlic flowers (clearly quite thirsty). At some point a male monarch spotted her nectaring and tackled her to the ground and they began to mate.

Later in the afternoon while walking in the pastures, I observed multiple monarchs ~ most milkweed-seeking, egg-laying females (some nectaring) ~ with several male monarchs sailing around. I also was checking milkweed for eggs. Most milkweed I found had eggs on it, but fresh sprouts keep emerging.

This is a photo of a female monarch nectaring from false garlic flowers (a monarch staple) in our front yard on this warm, sunny day. I am very glad there are abundant nectar plants for these long-traveled monarchs.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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