I hope you get to raise some more monarchs this year, Randy. I remember how much your daughter enjoyed it!
Sherry

Ditto! :)

Randy, you may have to pick up some plants from Marilyn. I never seem to have enough milkweed for all of the eggs laid on their journey North. Don't know why I can't seem to get trop. mw seeds started early enough to be of benefit for when they move North.

We've gotten over 2 inches of rain, and it is still raining this morning. How much have you gotten?

For those of you interested, Journey North is very interested in reporting sightings of 1st milkweed up, 1st Monarchs sighted, and 1st eggs laid. (It makes it nice to be able to go back to your historical sightings, and compare when your 1st milkweed was up, etc. last year compared to this year.)

There was a Monarch sighting reported on the OK Birds list last night at the Red Slough near Idabel. Makes me wonder if it is indeed a migrant from Mexico, or may have overwintered in Texas???

Here is a link that might be useful: Journey North Sightings

Thanks ladies. Amber asked me a couple days ago when the monarchs would here, so I showed her the Journey North site.

So far almost 1 1/2 inches of rain this morning. We needed it pretty bad. Unfortunately I'm having beaver problems again and have to do something about it. I just hate that. The couple of aceres around the creek have been under water all morning and it makes a monster mess after the water goes down.

They have become such a problem in Oklahoma, the state no longer relocates them. Kind of sad. Wish they weren't so destructive.

randy

saw a monarch (a brilliant orange) in my garden earlier today. probably from one of the dozen cats that munched my milkweed. i should be seeing a bunch more in the coming days.

It won't be long. I checked on the okleps site and I think we were seeing BFs in late March-early April. However, I had Milkweed Incarnata that had started greening up by then. It's not there yet this year, and my curavassica plants are still babies.

Linda, how do you access the bird site?

Sandy

Sandy, I tried to e-mail you the link, and my e-mail came back undeliverable. Something about not liking links in e-mail.

Here it is. Scroll down to "How do I subscribe?" Be forewarned there are times when you may get 80 e-mails.
http://www.suttoncenter.org/okbirds.html

-at 5pm yesterday, March 20, it was starting to look like spring here in Madison, Wisconsin. The sidewalks & streets were all clear of snow, and much of the grass was uncovered and just beginning to green up. But that was then, and this morning, we have fresh snow, and more coming down. We might get 13 inches total. The monarchs had better slow down and take their time, we are not ready for them yet!

I was at El Rosario on March 13, and although there were still many Monarchs there, they had just begun to move. We saw them on lupines along the road about 50 miles northwest of Ocampo, the town closest to the sanctuary. The same day, Dr. Bill Calvert saw them flying north at Angangueo, nearby.

I was hoping the migration would come through here, but I guess I am too far west. I did see one Monarch in my garden a couple of weeks ago, but it must have been a stray.

geni

Here is a link that might be useful: Journey North March 13 update

I just ordered some tropical milkweed from Ozark Nursery (Ron Rottman, info located in the FAQ section)
and found a source for some native milkweeds:

Milkweed, Butterfly Asclepias tuberosa P Sun/Dry 18"-36 Orange S-F Pkt/Mix
Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca P Sun/PSun-Dry/Moist 36"-48" Pur/Pink S Pkt/Mix
Milkweed, Hall's Asclepias hallii P Sun-Dry/Moist 24"-36" White S Pkt
Milkweed, Polk Asclepias exaltata P Sun/PShd-Med 36"-60" White S Pkt
Milkweed, Prairie Asclepias sullivantii P Sun-Moist/Med 24"-36" Pink Sum Pkt
Milkweed, Purple Asclepias purpurascens P Sun/PShd-Med/Moist 24"-36" Pur S Pkt
Milkweed, Red Asclepias rubra P Sun/PShd-Med/Moist 24"-36" Pink/Pur S Pkt
Milkweed, Red Ring Asclepias variegata P PShd-Dry/Med 24"-36" Wht/Red S Pkt
Milkweed, Sand Asclepias amplexicaulis P Sun-Dry 18"-36" Pink Sp-S Pkt
Milkweed, Short Green Asclepias viridiflora P Sun-Med/Dry 8"-16" Grn S Pkt
Milkweed, Showy Asclepias speciosa P Sun-Med/Dry 36"-48" Pur S Packet
Milkweed, Spider Asclepias viridis P Sun-Dry 8"-24" Grn-Pur S Packet
Milkweed, Swamp Asclepias incarnata P Sun-Wet/Moist 36"-48" Red S Pkt/Mix
Milkweed, Swamp, 'Cinderella' Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' P Sun-Wet/Dry 24"-48" Pink S Pkt
Milkweed, Swamp, 'Ice Ballet' Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' P Sun-Wet/Dry 24"-48" White S Pkt
Milkweed, Swamp, Pulchra Asclepias incarnata ssp pulchra P Sun-Wet/Moist 24"-36" Red Summer Packet
Milkweed, Tall Green Asclepias hirtella P Sun-Dry/Med 18"-30" White S Packet
Milkweed Vine Matelea decipiens P Sun/PShade-Med/Moist 6'- 10' Maroon Sum Packet
Milkweed, Whorled Asclepias verticillata P Sun/PShade-Med/Dry 18"- 30" Wht S/Fall Packet
Milkweed, Woolly Asclepias lanuginosa P Sun-Med/Dry 4"- 12" Cream S N/A

Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Frontier Wildflowers and Grass Seed