Date: 04/05/2021

Number: 28

Easter Monday started with a deeply foggy morning around 60 degrees F. As the day warmed up the monarchs started to be active. They were nectaring, sunning, males chasing females, and females looking for milkweed and egg-laying. I saw 3 mated pairs today (including seeing the original capture in two of the cases). There seems to be a fairly even mix of male and female monarchs at this time.
The temperature got up to the middle 70's in the afternoon with humidity around 60%. It was cloudy with a breezy wind, the sun coming in and out from behind the clouds. I saw 28+ monarchs, with a constant sense of movement and activity ~ nectaring (from Lyre-leaf sage, thistles, blackberry blossoms), air-tussles, skirmishes over thistles, females quietly seeking milkweed, and males sailing around and finding females to chase. The monarchs (and bumblebees) seemed happy and energized. I called it the “wild west” a few times!

The milkweed (Asclepia viridis) is starting to flower, and I continue to find monarch eggs and larvae at the various stages of development.

This is a photo of a beautiful female monarch nectaring from Lyre-leaf sage. She went from flower to flower getting sips in the cool morning. Before this she had been laying eggs on milkweed.

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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