Throw Back Thursday (TBT):
What can we expect outdoors in early July? Click here for my prediction, written in 2009: Milkweed or What to Look for in Early July.
In 2009 I described how to find monarch butterfly eggs on milkweed leaves. Sadly, monarchs have declined so precipitously in six years that they’re very hard to find today in western Pennsylvania.
(close-up of Common Milkweed by Marcy Cunkelman)
This breaks my heart. it was only ten years ago that I had my pick of milkweed fields with eggs a plenty. Brought weed and egg back to my office and and set up a terrariam. A wonderful experience to watch and be in awe of. When a monache came out of its cacoon a let it dry and then released it in the field were I had found the egg. I won’t like a world without these wonders in it.
I have been growing milkweed in my back yard for 8 years and I too confirm that the monarch population has significantly dropped off in this area. I also have noticed that the honey bee population down too. In my yard anyway. But boy do I have lots of bumble bees though.
I had one adult emerge yesterday from the only egg I found in early June….but found eggs on the 30th and July 1st, so a female was here around June 27th and laid the eggs…I have 2 tiny cats now, so they should be in their chrysalis in about 2 weeks and out the door by the end of July….I have not seen a wild monarch here in the yard yet this year….I would say you should be starting to see the monarchs any day now and of course more chance as the summer gets closer to August…may need to cut back the milkweed to get fresh leaves for the female to lay on tender leaves…I also have been taking off the large leaves and letting the new sprouts come from the stem where the old leaves were snapped off…of course, plant more milkweed and take time to smell it….it’s an awesome smell to enjoy!!!!(watch for bees if you sniff close.)
I feel lucky to see them at all here on the Jersey Shore anymore. I see individuals here and there when in seasons past there seemed to be hordes of them coming in off the ocean in the morning and swamping the goldenrod at a local park near the water at evening’s sunset. I have noticed this season that common milkweed is very fragrant. I have butterfly milkweed in my yard and it is not fragrant at all.