Date: 08/07/2021

Number: 3

Since I first saw one Monarch in my yard in July, I now have 3. This is a great disappoint to me.

My whole yard is full of milkweed, has been for over 15 years. Used to have so many Monarchs, could watch them from the time the Common Milkweed flowered until the Fall.

About 3 years ago, their numbers began to fall. The year before last, I had many at first, then they began to diminish as the summer wore on. That year I began to see wings on the ground all around my garden. I couldn't imagine what was happening.

Last year I saw this pattern again. Eventually, I caught the culprit(s); I had been happy that I saw many Preying Mantis the last few years. However, as it turns out, and previously unknown to me, The dear Monarchs were being eaten by the Mantis! I wish I had know about this earlier, as last fall I went around the whole large yard and gathered up every Mantis egg case I could find. I did this all fall and had a bucketful!!! I think I had both the regular Mantis and the Chinese. I took the bucket of cases to various farms in the area, as the bloody bug is CT's state insect!

This year I was happy to NOT see any mantis, but I also only have 3 individual butterflies, which is nearly none... I have left all the milkweed, pink, orange and yellow ,(no longer in flower), old and new, and hope they are depositing eggs. The monarchs ALSO arrived long after the Milkweeds had stopped flowering. I can only hope they are reproducing. At least there are plenty of Butterfly Bushes, Phlox, Coreopsis, Joe Pye Weed, etc.

Is there a way others can be notified of the Mantis issue??? It has been dreadfully important in my yard and may be so for others in CT.

Thank you for all you do, Laurie Watson.

Taftville, CT

Latitude: 41.6 Longitude: -72.1

Observed by: Laurie
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