Monarch Butterfly Migration News...

16 years ago

I heard something interesting on the news this morning about the Monarch migration.

Dallas is in the Spring and Fall migratory path of the Monarch. But because of the current weather pattern the migration is being delayed. Right now our temperatures are still in the low to mid 90's. The south is not experiencing the normal wind patterns that bring cooler weather down from the north this time of the year.

The Monarchs use these winds to aid in their southern migration, something that I had never really thought about. They are predicting that the Monarch migration will be several weeks behind schedule.

Hopefully, there will not be sudden, severe cold snap that will trap the Monarchs before they reach the warmer climates.

These weather patterns have such a ripple effect on everything, don't they? Wildlife, agriculture etc.

Has anyone else heard this story? I will try and find it online.

Marilyn

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Comments (11)

fammsimm
Original Author
16 years ago
Ah, just found the story!

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly Migration Stalled
rnbwgrl
16 years ago
I don't know about down south, but I still have Monarchs in my garden, and they usually dissapear by about midseptember in my area usuallly.
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Those are beautiful Annie.I've been seeing more of them around here as well,usually on the butterfly bush and the dahlias. There was a smaller BF on one of my potted impatients on friday,don't know what kind it was,but it let me water the plant and didn't even fly off.Of course i steered clear of where he/she was feeding, Talked to my sister in Washingtonville N.Y. yesterday and she told me when she went out in her yard saturday,the deer had made an overnight visit and ate all her plants,and some of the deer were still up on the hill eating from the apple tree.She was very upset,as i would have been as well. Kathi
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Sorry, I had not been keeping up on this thread. Thanks for the report, Ksokiegonnab. Gamebird, if the caterpillars are on parsley, then they are indeed Black swallowtails. If they can continue to eat with this "cooler" weather that we are having, they will wander off, and find a sheltered area to make a chrysalis. They will overwinter as a chrysalis, and emerge on a warm day in the spring. Moths tend to burrow down into loose soil or debris, and make a cocoon, to emerge in the spring. Betty, thanks for your exciting report of the Monarchs in your yard! Butterflies are very host specific on what they lay their eggs on. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed. Snow on the Mountain is not in the milkweed family. Perhaps, there is milkweed in the alley or pasture nearby??? If you have parsley or fennel in your yard, the caterpillars may have been Black swallowtails. The tropical milkweed is easy to obtain and grow. It is an excellent nectar source, as well as host plant for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on. You may be able to find some native mw growing in some fencelines or pastures, and find some with some interesting seedpods, tobring some seeds home for a native plant area. As you increase your nectar and host plants in your garden, you will begin to find lots of butterflies seeking out your yard. Good luck with your garden, and thanks for your interest.
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Our plants are so messed up. We still have white autumn asters (the little native ones) in bloom for the butterflies, but most other autumn wildflowers seem like they are finishing up, so the monarchs need to hurry up and get headed south. The last day or two, I've seen several new, freshly emerged monarchs hanging onto plants, wings stretched out---like they are drying their wings before they fly. Since the fall wildflowers are finishing up (goldenrod and liatris are done, white asters and some of the blue autumn sage still are blooming in the fields, and some of the helenium too), I think the butterflies cannot delay heading south too much longer. However, we have some spring bloomers, largely red Indian paintbrush and the pink Spring Beauties, and some tiny frogfruit flowers too, that have emerged and are blooming. I assume that they went dormant in the hot, dry summer weather as always and then, when all that heavy rain fell at the end of August, they reacted as if it were spring, and sprouted, grew and are blooming now. It is odd, but not unheard of after a very dry summer. The various types of butterflies that hang around the garden still have morning glories, four o'clocks, daturas, moonvine flowers, periwinkles, zinnias and more in bloom, but the monarchs that are traveling are going to be finding less and less in the fields at this late date. Normally the monarchs all have cleared our area by now, but I've seen some every day this week so they're obviously lagging behind. If yours left a couple of days ago, then ours should clear the area here soon. We've been pretty warm during the day, but some of the nights have been in the 40s at our house and in the 30s at our Mesonet station at Burneyville. I'm not sure what their cold tolerance is, but surely they know they need to be getting further south than here by this late in October.
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And I just picked up from the library Monarchs and Milkweed" A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant and the Remarkable Story of their Remarkable Co-Evolution by Anurag Agarwal!
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DYH
16 years ago
My Monarchs that were born here this summer moved on. Then I had several weeks without any. Now I am seeing 3-5 per day. I keep expecting to see hundreds, but we're still in drought, still in hot weather of 80s and will be 90s again on Monday. :-( My milkweed is blooming again, so I'm ready for them if they want to stop by. My nectar plants of lantana, buddleia and salvia are still blooming, too.

Cameron
fammsimm
Original Author
16 years ago
Cameron,

I'm ready too. All my lantanas and salvias are in full bloom and just waiting for the Monarchs.

Usually around this time of year I see flocks of migrating Monarchs, but nothing so far. Our annual "Butterfly-Flutterby" festival is October 20th. Hopefully there will be some Monarchs here by then.

On the other hand, I've seen my first group of Canadian Geese, which seems early for some reason.

Marilyn
todancewithwolves
16 years ago
So that's what's going on! I haven't seen one Monarch this year, not one.

It has been usual warm but our nights are chilly. It's been like that all summer.

Thanks for sharing the news Marilyn.

Edna
jackied164 z6 MA
16 years ago
Well last year my yard (and garden) were on the migration route that must move out of this area. Over a few days we had hundreds and hundreds pass through in a noticable flight path. I thought of this today because I had 3 feasting on my zinnias. What I remember is that my huge aster clump was blooming at the time and looking back at the pics I took of the day it was October 10th. My aster is not yet blooming but about to and I dont know but my best guess is that it is too early to say that they are delayed from here.
riverterrace
16 years ago
We still have tons of Monarchs here in coastal CT and they don't seem to be in a hury to migrate elsewhere. I just planted a new butterfly boarder this year so I don't know if this is typical or not for this time of year. We've also had visits from hummingbirds just in the past couple weeks. I hope they all make it somewhere safe before the weather turns!
fammsimm
Original Author
16 years ago
Still no signs of the Monarchs at my house, although the Swallowtails, Sulfurs and Gulf Frit. are still hanging around my Lantana.

It sure sounds like they are enjoying the hospitality in New England, one of my favorite places, too. :-)

I feel the same way, river terrace. I hope they make it somewhere before the weather turns.

Marilyn
mora
16 years ago
I'm really hoping Mother Nature knows what is best because I have a cat ready to pupate on a leaf, a jewel ready to hatch and a newly born adult looking for a map to Mexico, gave me a great reason to buy another butterfly bush today...yellow...huge....and on sale, M
Steveningen
16 years ago
They were all in my backyard last week. I have never seen so many Monarchs. They were literally flitting by about 1 a minute at their peak. They have dwindeled out, so I can only assume they are headed toward Diana.

Edna, I was really surprised that you didn't see any. They must have gone inland or hugged the coast just south of us.

Steven
fammsimm
Original Author
16 years ago
Mora,

We must be on the same wave length because yesterday I bought 2 huge black and blue salvias, in full bloom, because I want to be sure to have additional nectar sources in time for their arrival. :-)

Edna,

You always have the welcome mat out for the butterflies! Seen any Monarchs today?

Steven,

I bet that was a beautiful sight. I've witnessed migratory flocks like that too. They are such delicate, beautiful creatures on such a long perilous journey.

Hmmm...maybe I should run by that nursery again today to see if they still have b/b salvias on sale! lol

Marilyn

Monarch Butterfly Migration News...

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