Date: 03/15/2024
Number: 11
Another wonderful monarch day! I observed at least eleven individual monarchs today, with many more encounters.
From 10:30am to 11:30am I went about the yard and pastures. Mostly, I tended to stay in one area of the middle pasture and observed the monarch activity around me. It was 72 degrees F, mostly overcast, 87% humidity, with light breezes from the N. The grass as usual on these mornings was wet with dew. I watched seven female monarchs fluttering low checking milkweed, egg-laying, and resting/sunning. I saw two male monarchs flying around and nectaring from yellow thistles. Twice egg-laying females were pursued by males. In both cases after a high aerial swirling flight, the females eluded capture.
Later in the afternoon, I continued to see monarchs being active, including at least four individual male monarchs. Not as much activity as in the morning, which is usually how it seems to go. I also at that time observed a mated pair ~ not hard to spot as they sailed right past me in our upper pasture and flew to a nearby tree. I will add their photo to a Monarch (OTHER Observations) report.
This is a photo of one of the lovely female monarchs seen today as she is egg-laying on an Asclepias viridis milkweed. One of her just-laid eggs can be seen in the bud crown below her.
Montgomery, TX
Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8
Observed by: Kathy
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