Date: 03/19/2020

Number: 1

1 adult Monarch flying low adjacent to the weather office & Shelby County airport.

The monarch (100% sure) was bright in color/new-looking, which I found interesting. I've been looking for faded ones. It was flying low to the ground in a northward direction. I couldn't get close enough to see if it was male or female, and did not get a photo of it. The area it was in is basically grass that is mowed weekly (next to an airport). I also saw a black swallowtail shortly thereafter in the same area, flying across the airfield.

I am not aware of milkweed in the immediate area.

I've seen a few small butterflies as well, but couldn't get a good enough look to identify. At home I've also seen a gulf fritillary.

Do you think this was a migrating one that recently emerged in Mexico, or do some stay along the Gulf Coast and have an early spring offspring?

I live a tad north of where I submitted the report. I have milkweed, from seed, that's only about an inch tall. I started attracting (and raising) monarchs, black swallowtail, and gulf fritillary the past two years in my backyard bee/butterfly garden, and hope to expand to include a few more.

Alabaster, AL

Latitude: 33.2 Longitude: -86.8

Observed by: Gerald
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