Understand exactly how you feel. Hasn't been much flying around the new place either, and next to nothing compared to what I used to get at the other house. Other than a few V. cardui when they migrated through it's been just a few Pierids and skippers mostly and at dusk a few moths. That's kind of strange too as this new area is a ranch area in the middle of town, with lots of fairly large tracts of property containing at least some wild native plants for the leps. Maybe the key is "in the middle of town", whereas the other place was right on the edge of the desert where I also shared my property with lots of native (and migrating) animals and birds. None of either of them are here either. All of the species of plants in the plantings at this new place have finished their flower production for the year other than the Lanatana and Hesperaloe, so not much to attrack them now nor will there be for the rest of the season either.

Here on the Mojave the real butterfly activity is always out on the desert year-round, in its arroyos and canyons mostly, not in the xeriscape planted yards in town. IOW that's pretty much the way you do leps here, wild collected livestock with cuttings rather than from those attracted to a home garden. So when you can't go out hiking in the wilds anymore to look for them, seeing them and for sure rearing them becomes a thing of the past.

Unlike you I still stop in at the forum at least daily since I have to get my fix here from the lives (and gardens) of others now. That's far better than nothing at all.

At least you have a chance it will bounce back, so hang in there.

L.

I'm feeling similarly. I've got beautiful milkweed plants all around my garden without a single bite taken out of any of them. I've not kept records in the past, because it's taken me a few years to develop my garden to the point I'd expect it to support any number of butterflies (Monarchs, particularly). So, I don't know if it's still too early for me to expect much. I'm also a little bit afraid my yard is too sheltered by surrounding trees for the butterflies to find it easily. I did get to raise several Monarchs last year, but they were cats I found at other locations. I just brought them home and fed them my milkweed. Two weeks ago I think I saw a Monarch and a Tiger Swallowtail fly through my neighbors backyard, but high up in the trees. They didn't drop down to nectar or lay eggs (that I saw). I guess I'll just keep hoping. I did get a chance to start a new butterfly garden in a friends' yard and it's out in the open. Hopefully the BFs will find that one. I just don't get much time to spend there watching for them.

'So sorry, Mary, to read about your lack of butterflies!
I think butterfly numbers have been down most everywhere, even here. My huge button bush is in bloom now, and I'm only seeing an occasional butterfly on it - the bees still swarm all over it like last year, but I don't have the large numbers of tiger swallowtails on it like last year.
And for the first time in years, I don't have any pipevine swallowtails. I saw a male nectaring briefly on my Ellen's Blue butterfly bush, and I got SO excited - maybe he'll bring his girlfriend next time, and she'll lay me some eggs.
I think all the weather disasters in the country have had their impact - the hurricanes, ice storms, droughts, floods, etc. couldn't have helped, that's for sure!
You have a long season in Florida, so, hopefully, things will improve.
Sherry

I concur with Mary as far as Central Florida is concerned. The most common bfs in my yard are monarchs and frits. I have seen an occasional bst, giant swallowtail, buckeye,painted lady and cassius blue but that is about it. I have polydamus cats on pipevine, but haven't seen a polydamus bf. I believe it is still early and it will get better as the year progresses. The bf activity in my yard does seem to be getting better every year and I am hopeful this trend will continue. The table is set in both the front and back yards. I am just waiting for my guests. Plant it and they will come. Hang in there MB. Again, it is early and we have all summer.

Hold out hope. I think it is the wildly fluctuating temperatures this spring. My NABA magazine had an article looking at whether butterfly numbers are down based on counts conducted over the last couple decades(?). To be honest it was difficult to understand what she was trying to say (did anybody else read that?) but I think she did not think it was too bad. I think perhaps diversity may be a bit down but not numbers. I can't help but wonder if this is not skewed because a lot of these long term counts are held in parks and many other habitats are being lost to development, farm fields, etc....maybe it's just weather...maybe I am just impatient...Bring on the hot weather! Okay, maybe the medium warm weather...
-Elisabeth

Hang in there Mary. I've seen your yard & its a bfly paradise. I've added a few new host & nectar plants with the hope that if you build it they will come. Also a couple of my neighbors want to attact butterflies, so hopefully that will help too.

Beverly

It's the same way here in Tennessee. I've not seen a single Pipevine,tiger, black or spicebush this year! Only 2 zebras, 1 silver spotted skipper no sleepy sulfurs, no buckeyes. The only activity has been at the bait stations for hackberrys and morning cloaks and commas. Even the bumble bees aren't there. Nothing that I can see is any different than the previous years, just nothing showing up during the day. The moths are showing up, just not in numbers. I've recorded over a hundred species of Noctuid and a dozen species of sphinx moths so far a night. This is pretty normal. I'm at a loss as far as the swallowtails.

It is bad in NE Fl as well. My garden is just begging to be chewed up and I haven't even seen one Monarch. I have seen a few Gulf Frits...or at least their eggs. Will keep waiting, but this year has not followed the "Build it and they will come" saying.

I hope things are just slow for everyone--there's not too much happening here, but I figure it's just because of the weather. I have seen a Polyphemus and Cecropia moth--first ones for me, so that has been exciting.

Elizabeth, I read that article too, and it just sounded like it's so hard for her to get any real, dependable data, so it's hard to tell if there is a quantifiable difference in butterfly populations. She wants to try some new program, it sounded like. She said that the numbers depend upon the number of people counting as well as their experience.

I've been hoping that things will be better this year.

Not much action here yet either... :(

Maybe I should have posted alot earlier. I am now finding caterpillars - at least Monarchs, Gulf Frits, and Polys. I have them inside to raise so hopefully if I can get these released and they stay in the area, I might get more eggs. Still no EBS, Sulphurs, Spicebush, or Giant Swallowtails. It seems the wasps aren't as numerous as they were a few weeks ago. Maybe that is why. I guess the singles I have been seeing are females, at least they have left me eggs. Hopefully everyone else who was commiserating with me will start to get more too.