Date: 04/11/2024
Number: 10
Around 11am it was 68 degrees F, sunny, 55% humidity, with wind from the NW. The ground & grass was wet from the rain from the previous day. I observed at least 10 individual monarchs over the next hour and a half. I watched five females who were checking milkweed, egg-laying and quite frequently sunbathing and nectaring. The males were flying around patrolling & nectaring. One of females I was following got chased by a male ~ they did a tight aerial spiral upward, then she dived straight down and that was enough for the male to sail on without her. She stayed down in the grass for a few moments then went back to checking milkweed.
There is plenty of milkweed (Asclepias viridis), including flowering and new young plants. I am still seeing monarch eggs & larvae (1st through 5th instar) on the milkweed. I continued to see monarchs flying around and nectaring throughout the afternoon.
This is one of the lovely female monarchs as she nectars from the flowers of a milkweed this morning. She also laid eggs on multiple milkweed plants.
Montgomery, TX
Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8
Observed by: Kathy
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