Date: 03/06/2023

Number: 1

Monarch was basking in the sun, on a sunny branch, about 8ft from ground. Butterfly was in the vicinity of a flowering plum tree, but we did not see it nectaring.

[Journey North Data Verification Note: contacted observer for more information; observer noted this potentially could be an outlier, though the spring has been unusual in the area. Additional comments contributed by observer and added below by Journey North, 03/07/2023]:

We do have a Compton Tortiseshell flittering about (I got snaps of that one) but the butterfly I saw was far larger and had a very different wing pattern—with a decidedly Monarch-like color and Monarch-like wing pattern.

With that in mind, I cannot definitively say it was either a Viceroy or a Monarch. That said, I’ve not seen a Viceroy here before, while we do have a regular stream of Monarchs passing through and breeding on our milkweeds here (which are definitely not up yet).

Takoma Park, MD

Latitude: 39 Longitude: -77

Observed by: Craig
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