Late this morning (~11 AM, 8/3/2025), my wife and I headed out looking for Milkweeds and Monarch Butterflies in order to participate in the 2025 International Milkweed & Monarch Blitz.  As I have noted in earlier postings this year, despite having numerous Asclepias (i.e., syriaca, incarnata, and tuberosa) plants growing in the gardens around our house, thus far this summer we have seen very few Monarch eggs, caterpillars, or butterflies.

Nonetheless, we were hopeful that we might find some Milkweeds and Monarch Butterflies at various locations in the Bellefonte and State College area where we have found them in previous years.  In other words, our plan is similar to what we attempted during last year’s Blitz.  We plan to confirm if there are Milkweeds in any of those locations this year, and if so, report them in a set of separate Milkweed sightings for each location today (this being our first such 2025 Milkweed Blitz sighting).  (We will do a separate set of sightings for each of those locations at which we find any evidence of Monarchs.)

At our first stop, by the field where an underground gas pipeline goes by to the northeast of the First Baptist Church at 539 Jacksonville Road, east of Bellefonte, we found that the field was not fallow this year (and hence had no milkweed plants).  There were a few Common Milkweeds (as shown in the photo) growing north of the field heading up the unmowed pipeline.

At the time, the air temperature was 70°F, the dew point was 55°F, the humidity was 60%, the air was calm under fair skies, and the air pressure was 28.89 inches and slowly dropping.

LATITUDE:      40.930°N
LONGITUDE:    77.752°W

      - Tim