Monarchs in FL

[mflutterby]

We were recently visiting family in FL during the early part of this month. I thought that I was watching a Queen butterfly lay eggs on some milkweed in my sister in law's yard. Now as I see the photos of the caterpillars they look just like the monarch caterpillars. Could I have been mistaken about this butterfly? I thought because of the time of the year the monarchs were already well on their way to Mexico. Could someone clarify this for me, please.

[Mona Miller]

There are year round Monarchs in Florida--they call them resident. Some Monarchs will actually migrate down into Florida from the north and stay there. Others will keep going and going and going.... until they cross the Gulf into Cuba and some even travel further along the island chain.

There are also resident Monarchs in many of the other gulf states.

[mflutterby]

At this time of the year is it common to have monarchs laying eggs in FL? I realize that they are probably resident monarchs at the point. My family has had monarchs emerging from their chrysalis a week or so ago and now they have a caterpillar on the milkweed and a monarch laying more eggs. We are in NC and the monarch cycle in FL has me totally confused. Can anyone shed some light on this for me so that I can pass it on.

[Mona Miller]

The weather in parts of Florida are tropical enough that Monarchs can live and breed there all year. They cannot breed in Canada and the US where the temps go down below freezing. They cannot withstand freezing temps for more than 3-4 days. Dr. Urquhart the Monarch scientist from Canada said that he calls this population nomadic. They spend their life in those coastal area until spring and he wrote that some would actually return north.

There are many species of butterflies that migrate south in the winter and then return north in the spring when temps warm up. Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Variegated Fritillaries, Buckeyes, etc. But, the Monarch makes the longest journey south of all the butterflies.

[mflutterby]

The temperature in FL has been extremely cold, freezing and below. Will the existing cats and chrysalis survive these low temps? Is there anything that should be done or can be done since these are all outside?

[Mona Miller]

The chances are slim that the larvae and pupae will survive freezing and below freezing temps. The only way to save them is to bring them in during cold spells. The same goes for the milkweeds. They are not freeze tolerant either.