Salem, MA...Finally!!!

[dandjtaylor]

After thinking we saw one about 2 weeks ago, I found proof yesterday. At one of my local public milweed patches, I came across 24 eggs of a couple days old. So, they are here in the area and now they just need to visit waystation #2638 to get the real numbers to grow.

[allaflutter}i{]

Oh, I am SO envious Dand'. We've seen NOTHING in NJ, yet.

[dandjtaylor]

Trust me, I haev been verty impatient. I have been scowering the entire area for weeks!

I saw a GS Frit. today and one of my Black Swallowtails emerged and flew off. I think this is the beginning of another busy summer.

They'll be there. I am sure if you can locate a few good choices of public wild milkweed, you may get lucky.

[dandjtaylor]

Update...Friday evening while cutting some flowers for the wife, a beautiful, pristine and very large female flew into the yard, popped an egg on a common MW and flew away. I figured that finally, they had found waystation 2638. Well, it appears that at least here in Massachusetts, the repopulation is a success. At about 12pm yesterday afternoon, I went into the backyard to get some boat wax and there was not one, not two, but three very large and again, very pristine, females on various milkweeds. They visited throughout the afternoon. I collected over 60 eggs from common, swamp and purple MW! Combine those with the wild patches that I went to on Saturday and I have over 24 cats and 85 eggs! In my first week of the collection and rearing season, I have 109 eggs and cats total! At this same time last year, I had 12 chrysalis only.

Looks like it is going to be a very big year for population recovery, at least in the NorthEast...I hope.

[dandjtaylor]

I posted more details in the "rearing" topic, but to update this subject...11 days, 234 eggs, cats, pupae! I am surprised at the other posters who are seeing nothing. There are monarchs in the yard every day now. This morning, there was a female nectaring and ovipositing at 6:20am! It was already 77 degrees.

I hope that everyone else is simple missing them. They come in quickly and quietly go about their business. Check those milkweeds. You may be missing them and letting the lady bugs get them first.

[Mona Miller]

Not missing them. I pulled many leaves off my aphid ridden milkweed today and not one egg, larvae.... I'm checking. Nothing, nothing, nothing and I'm not the only one finding nothing, but I'm still looking.

[dandjtaylor]

Mona

Not too late for some Nasturtiums. Mine are working there charm and keeping the aphids away...the numerous ladybugs help as well.

[Mona Miller]

They are growing as we speak. I planted them several weeks ago. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[fludwig12]

Here in Lexington MA we have been waiting too! Finally on July 4 I found 5 eggs on milkweed in my yard. A search of milkweed patches around town yielded 9 cats with 2 adults spotted.

I'm getting ready to present a monarch workshop in Boston through the Monarch Teacher Network:
http://www.eirc.org/website/Programs-+a ... twork.html
The workshop is at the end of July. We will need monarchs in all stages to show the 36 teachers expected.

Good luck with your hunting.

Fran Ludwig

[dandjtaylor]

Wicked busy here! In the 16 days since our first egg, we have now 350 in all stages including 45 chrysalis. There are 64 that will probably pupate this evening.

I have built a second eclosing box to contain the volume. You can see that we are already using both of them, 10 per row. THe boxes are painted in the same colors as our house. THey look great in the SE corner of the fence. Really easy to build as well. The second one took me only about an hour or two to build.

We now see Monarchs daily. Finally raing today as well. That should help those wild drooping milkweeds that I have been seeing everywhere.

Dwayne
Salem, MA
Waystation #2638