I was remarking on this just yesterday......not a single Monarch this year, and very few other butterflies. Earlier this summer I had a asclepsias that had been chewed on so was sure the Monarchs were around, but no such luck. And there are few bees this year, too.

No Monarchs at all here either. Have asked around the area, and no one is reporting seeing them this year. I have a lot of milkweed planted for them and many other flowering plants and shrubs for all the butterflies and other flying things. I do have a larger than usual amount of Yellow Swallowtails and Fritillaries.

I have a few monarchs around, but not very many. I try to plant things that attract hummingbirds and butterflies in my garden, and I have an undeveloped field behind my house which attracts them.

I'm unsure which kinds of butterflies we're seeing, but since a bird left us a 'free' buddlleia plant last year, we have plenty of them. Love that big plant with the purple blooms! I'd never seen one before.

No Monarchs here, either. Our weather has been very unusual this year, cooler than normal and vastly more rainfall than usual. What I do see an abundance of is these awful tent caterpillars.

No Monarchs, and not many other kinds of butterflies, although we've had some. It's unfortunate.

We used to have plenty of milkweed, and I imagine it's still growing at roadsides, but in an effort to cut down on the tick population we started mowing some areas that were previously left wild. I should plant some at the wood's edge.

We have loads of milkweed at our place in PA but I haven't noticed any caterpillars. Maybe the birds got them.

Here at home I have at least 10 butterfly bushes - deep purple, baby blue, white and an ugly pinkish lavender. i don't want that many - I've decided they're weeds - but I think I'll dig some up in the spring and transplant them to PA. Maybe I'll buy a yellow one.

I have only seen black swallowtails and tiger swallowtails and a sulphur or two. I have the usual lantana, butterfly bushes and tropical milkweed but the swallowtails have been wild about the garden phlox this year.

Two monarchs, one three weeks ago and one yesterday. Several swallowtails, but I have lots of dill for them.

I have enough other plants in the yard to attract many pollinators. Bumble bees since April, lots of honeybees (they enjoy the Rose of Sharon and the Heliopsis), along with many kinds of wasps.

We had many mockingbirds this year because the viburnum set out lots of berries. Robins were here for a long time, but have moved on as they are done with their broods.

I miss the pretty butterflies!

Jim

Just saw a bunch of them on a hike two weeks ago.

Jodi-

No Monarchs at all, but my buddleia was covered with swallowtails and others. Honestly, I got a face full of butterflies if I walked under it to get to my garden gate.

The hummingbirds also have been very busy this year. I wish they would learn to get along with each other!

I read a fascinating book that includes the story of the plight of the Monarchs. It is Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. I highly recommend it. It is fiction.

Yes, they are in my yard as I write this - so graceful and beautiful. I grow Passifloras to keep them fed and happy.

Not so far ... and we have some of the milkweed which they need, which we leave alone.

ole joyful

I have not seen monarchs this year, maybe just one. At this time of the year in southern Wisc, we would be seeing the migration of Monarchs as they trek to the southwest from Canada, upper Michigan, and upper Wisconsin. I am on the west edge of one of their major flyways, The Monarchs migrating from Canada split the flock when they encounter Lake Michigan and fly along the western and eastern side of the lake. The ones flying the west side of the lake spill westard into the counties west of Lake Michigan.

They are fun to observe on a hot sunny day like today. These butterflies are seemingly flitting aimlessly from blosson to blossom until one notices their flight path is not random. Each short hop is in the same direction: southwest, thus the flock drifts along, all in the same direction. An individual monarch might cover 10 miles of more in one day.

Sadly, they are missing this year in this location. The flock had a very bad winter in Mexico last winter and the spring impeded their northward trip this year. The Monarchs I would see at this date would be the 3rd or 4th generation from last winter's over wintering flock.

Monarchs winter in our area and the count was way down this year.
Too much habitat destruction.
I see a few monarchs here but mostly painted ladies and cabbage moths. I saw a swallowtail not too long ago, too.

I can't tell them apart.

I went to a butterfly release at a nursery a couple of months back. Monarchs were every where. it was beautiful! I have seen a couple here and the swallowtails. I also have a smaller spotted butterfly. Not sure what it is and those big yellow ones.