Date: 03/29/2021

Number: 25

This turned out to be a strong monarch activity day! In the morning it was in the 50's with 80% humidity. By 12:15pm when I had the chance to go around, it was 69 degrees F, sunny, breezy, and 34% humidity. I immediately began encountering monarchs as I walked about: nectaring from the thistles (now many opened ones in multiple locations), flying, resting/sunning, chasing each other, and a few females fluttering slowly looking for milkweed.

I was observing all this activity as I meandered down into the lower pastures. In the distance I saw a low-flying monarch do a sudden dive into the grass. I headed for the spot cautiously and then waited, not sure what was happening. In a few minutes I got the answer, as a mated pair lifted up & flew high into the leafy branches of one of the nearest trees. The male must have spotted the female resting in the grass. I will add a photo to Monarch (Other observations).

This was just the beginning of a common theme today. I would, over the course of the day, see three more mated pairs besides this one. Also, the females had to be very smart about nectaring and egg-laying, as they were always likely to be chased because the males were continuously patrolling the entire range of meadows and woodlands. None of this is new, but just seemed very strong today.

I followed one female as she looked for milkweed. She traveled pretty fast and sunned at times. I last saw her as she flew into one of the entrances to the woods and immediately was pursued by a male sunning/waiting on the ground.

At one point I was in an upper meadow that had a quite a few monarchs flying here and there. I saw a mated pair lift off and head for a nearby small tree. I began to walk their way to maybe get a photo ~ it seemed like a larger than normal pairing. Well, there was an explanation as soon the mated pair flew again (headed for bigger trees) and a third monarch was dislodged from the bundle mid-air. I am guessing two males were vying for the one female, but one would just have to keep looking.

Going back around past some of the thistles, I saw several males, one nectaring while 2 others were resting/sunning nearby. This kind of thing goes in waves: no monarchs, then several all near each other. The males have little air tussles as they encounter each other, but everyone seems content to enjoy the day and to follow their missions. The males sail around our ten acres with ease, over and over, checking on the fencelines and areas with blackberry blossoms and milkweed which is in all the different sections. Today I saw a lot of sunbathing as well.

I saw a third mated pair as they flew right past me in our middle pasture and high up into the nearby large elm tree. They were still there more than an hour later. I will add a photo to Monarch (Other observations).

By 4:00pm it was 75 degrees F, sunny, lightly breezy, with 30% humidity. I found a female laying eggs in a somewhat secluded area ~ she was nicely finding some newly emerged milkweed. She seemed to try to stay hidden by often going by the blackberry vines/wild grapevine fenceline. She also did not stay too long in the open, but soon headed back into the trees.

I then followed a different female that was fluttering low. She was seeking milkweed and finding it. At one point she seemed to decide to sunbathe, but then closed her wings tightly. A male (who I had not noticed) sailed toward her location from 30 feet away. He hovered and circled trying to spot her, but apparently she blended in too well and he moved on. After a few more moments of stillness, she resumed her milkweed-seeking and egg-laying. She finished by flying into the lower entrance to our main woods. At that same moment, a mated pair flew past me and sailed high up into the treetops (the 4th mated pair seen today). And a male also flew past and headed along the lower woodland edges, still keeping a lookout in the late afternoon.

In checking on the milkweed, I found a newborn larva on what I think is Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), but I need identification help. This is very rare in our pastures. I will add a photo to a Monarch Larva Sighted report.

This is a photo of one of the intrepid male monarchs nectaring on a pink thistle (Cirsium horridulum) in the afternoon sunlight. These thistles are an important nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other insects ~ I call them nectar fountains!

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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