Althouse: Monarch.

September 14, 2023

Monarch.

Photo by Meade:

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24 comments:

rcocean said...: Butterflies look better from a distance.; 9/14/23, 11:40 AM
rehajm said...: Hummingbirds are still here. Later departure this year I guess. We did plant gardens what are a hummers paradise so that might contribute…; 9/14/23, 11:45 AM
Mike Petrik said...: Gorgeous photo.; 9/14/23, 11:50 AM
Joe Smith said...: Meade is King! : ); 9/14/23, 11:51 AM
Owen said...: Lovely pic. Here in New England there is a lot of interest in "pollinator pathways" where Monarchs and other butterflies and winged insects can find food and shelter. "Grow some milkweed" is one of the common exhortations. We did; and got some customers, who after eating their fill built their little jewel-green chrysalises --hanging like a climber's tent on a vertical wall-- and emerged in surprisingly short order, stretched their wings to dry, and made off for parts unknown. They seem to come equipped with all the needed software to fly and navigate. Quite humbling; and beautiful.; 9/14/23, 11:55 AM
Iman said...: Excellent photo! So clear, crisp colors.; 9/14/23, 12:30 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: A well composed and excellent photograph, Meade. Thanks for sharing, Althouse.; 9/14/23, 12:56 PM
Kai Akker said...: Nice. Climate change debunked. Good work, Meade.

DEE as in dee, - Bunked.

And just for the record, they caught Danelo yesterday.; 9/14/23, 1:08 PM
Narr said...: Great pic.

I'm pretty sure I saw that guy's cousin in my back yard a few minutes ago. We've had a lot of flutterbies and of course the hungry hummers.

Our usual crop of surprise(?) or spider(?) lilies(?) are nowhere to be seen. For many years past they have shot up by now, but so far no sign.; 9/14/23, 1:37 PM
n.n said...: The monarch-y.; 9/14/23, 2:08 PM
Gerda Sprinchorn said...: Cute as a bug.; 9/14/23, 2:41 PM
TrvlinOn said...: Judging by the color and wing condition, looks to be just hatched. Looks like a male. Just released the last monarch I raised from an egg. Doing it for over 15 years. This one is the Methuselah generation and will be heading for Mexico soon.; 9/14/23, 3:53 PM
TrvlinOn said...: Looks like it just hatched (bright color, no fading, wings are intact). Released my last home raised monarch yesterday. This is the Methuselah generation and is going to Mexico soon. Been home raising monarchs for 15 years. I'm pretty sure it's a male.; 9/14/23, 4:03 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: TrvlinOn,

You can't tell whether it's a male w/o looking at the hindwings, which you can't see in the photo. You know, has it got the little sperm sac, or hasn't it?

I have been . . . well, not exactly raising monarchs from eggs for 15 years, but I spent a lot of my tweens doing so. Found three caterpillars still on milkweed in October in NY; fed them until they pupated; ended up with three adult imagos in November. What to do? Dad called the Smithsonian (really!) and they told him how to feed them with dilute sugar solution in cotton in a Petri dish, and the rest of the time store them in the refrigerator. I was mortified, but it did work. For two, anyway. I let them loose on Sanibel Island when we went down there in Dec. The third had something wrong with one wing, so I held on to her until she died in April. All this is late 70s.; 9/14/23, 8:29 PM
Kakistocracy said...: I plant as much milkweed in my area as I can. Not only is this a key and crucial plant for Monarch caterpillars to eat, but the fragrance of a milkweed blossom is simply so sweet and alluring and intoxicating. I can tell when they are in bloom simply because their fragrance is everywhere. I tend to smell a milkweed blossom before I see a Monarch butterfly or caterpillar.

If you want to help the Monarch, talk to a local native plant nursery, plant the local varieties of milkweed and other flowering plants that will be in bloom throughout spring to fall. Yes, Monarch caterpillars depend on milkweed but migrating adults need nectar even when milkweed isn't in bloom.

Also, a couple caterpillars eat a lot of milkweed so if you plant it, plant enough, you don't want your garden to be a sink (where eggs are laid but not enough for a caterpillar to grow to adult on). If interested there are a lot of excellent resources online.; 9/14/23, 8:47 PM
Meade said...: Monarch Butterfly, the movie:

https://x.com/laurmeade/status/1702063884159369690?s=46&t=VX4S-gjuq5nKM-bW4zL54w; 9/14/23, 8:58 PM
TickTock said...: Nice set of wings.; 9/14/23, 9:05 PM
Meade said...: Thanks for the kind compliments.; 9/14/23, 9:07 PM
Political Junkie said...: Nice pair; 9/14/23, 9:26 PM
mezzrow said...: Lovely. Thanks for sharing!; 9/15/23, 4:48 AM
Fritz said...: I saw one over the Bay two days ago, taking advantage of a 15 kt wind to go south.; 9/15/23, 7:33 AM
Bitter Clinger said...: I think this is the first year (of 18) that I have not seen a single caterpillar on the milkweed at our house. We used to collect and several every year and let the children watch the metamorphosis and release the butterflies. Sad.; 9/15/23, 8:09 AM
walter said...: Benefits of rocking a real camera.; 9/16/23, 12:00 AM
Rusty said...: I've rarely seen them sit still long enough to take a picture. Good job.; 9/16/23, 7:23 AM