Is that it?

[dandjtaylor]

OK, simply because the monarchs are gone from our backyards, doesn't mean there is nothing to discuss. How about let's here your '09 stories, or '10 preparations, questions...

Come on...not an entry since Wednesday?!

[allaflutter}i{]

OK....since you asked. My very last butterfly is emerging today. It will be my 798th tagged. I'll have two tags left. Darn! Perhaps I'll go to Cape May and find two wild ones so I can hit that 800 mark. I swore I wouldn't repeat the 400 I did last year but with so much egg dumping each time I went to the local milkweed patch it was crawling with 'pillars. It was also crawling with assasin bugs and tacinid flies so of course I couldn't just leave them, could I?

Later on I'll crunch my numbers but for now I'm just going to sit with some tea and enjoy my last butterfly show.

[texas butterfly]

Just because you asked!!!!

Okay, I'm going to a Monarch Butterfly class this weekend. Topic will be Monarch Larvae Monitoring, etc...

Just attended a wonderful event at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center near Austin, Texas where they had a Nature Night out and a discussion, activities and a nature hike where the Monarch butterfly was the theme and educational topic of the night.

Then attended a wonderful event at Wildseed Farm near Fredricksberg, Texas where they had a Monarch Celebration. Monarch watch was hi-lighted there and 200 Monarchs were tagged for release.

Also, just visited Abilene area and Abilene state park recently and observed lots of Monarch butterflies feeding on nectar plants. Abilene state park had several trees where there were lots of Monarchs roosting. This was so awesome and this was near the day time area back by the water and picnic tables.

I noticed too the postings had slowed down. I guess more than Monarchs migrate during the winter. Since we probably will migrate to other activities during the winter months.

I plan on doing more reading and studying during these next couple of months to learn as much as possible before the new season starts.

I just found about 20 eggs on my Monarch plants so Monarch adults are still here. Probably some Queens too. I haven't seen the adults just the eggs. Maybe it really never slows down in the Houston area. The temps are in the low 50s this morning.

Are you on the DPLEX email discussion list? There is some activity going on there. Look at main page of www.monarchwatch.org to find the link.

Maybe when things slow down is when some butterfliers take vacation too.

Who's going to Mexico????

[dandjtaylor]

Wow! 'Flutter. You were busier than I was! Awesome numbers. I would be interested in your set-up and methods. I am always looking to improve on efficiency and success.

[Morti]

I'm in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's butterfly season here. Monarch season starts in August, when the sun is warm enough to allow adult monarchs to fly.
So far I've seen them fluttering about in the fields, but I'm still waiting for them to come to the milkweeed plants in my garden, as the milkweed has just started blooming. (It takes them a while to get to the city and lay eggs in urban gardens.)

So... still waiting, with the milkweed plants all ready...

[allaflutter}i{]

I recently posted that I had tagged 798 butterflies and I was irritated that I had two tags left. On a whim I took the tags with me to Florida while attending a wedding and as luck would have it was able to use my last two tags on wild Monarchs. Yippee!

This was in no way a planned goal. I just kept ordering tags as I found caterpillars but those last two were definitely haunting me.

Next year (I said the same thing last year) I don't plan on doing so many but I just know I won't be able to resist helping the little guys out.

I owe dandjtaylor an answer about my set up and I WILL get to it, dand', just bear with me while I catch up on life!

[Mona Miller]

I'm catching up on posts. I got so busy with the holidays and work that I couldn't keep up with all the posts. I wonder how the Monarchs are doing in Florida with all this cold weather. When and where in Florida did you do the tagging?