Blooms and butterflies #phenology

We may have may a delightful discovery today. It appears that several of the milkweed plants growing alongside our gravel road may have monarch eggs on them. If we had seen more monarch eggs in the past, we might be more certain of today's discovery. Then again, if we had seen many more monarch eggs in the past, we probably wouldn't be as excited as we are.

monarch butterfly eggs?

Photo by J. Harrington

Upon additional checking, the eggs we've discovered look to be about the correct color and, depending on age, may be the correct size, but are not in the referenced location "often on the bottom of a leaf near the top of the plant." These "eggs" are clearly on the top of the leaf. We'll watch and, literally, hope to see what develops. [We'll also remember to swap out the telephoto lens we had today.] It's frustrating to read about monarchs needing milkweed to lay eggs and be the proud owner of a field with abundant milkweed plants in some parts and see few eggs and, thus far, no caterpillars. The linked references don't provide much detail about the timing of monarch eggs laid in Minnesota and how that relates to instars and Autumn migration.

For adult butterflies, which, unlike the caterpillars, feed on flower nectar, we have now reached the peak of wildflower blooming season. There are almost 500 different wildflowers in bloom this month. The chart above was developed from lists of several years ago on the Minnestoa Wildflowers web site. We doubt that there's been a radical change in the distribution of wildflowers blooming by month, but we haven't gone back to double check.

Before

BY AVIS HARLEY

The butterfly was there

before any human art was made.

Before cathedrals rose in prayer,

the butterfly was there.

Before pyramids pierced the air

or Great Wall stones were laid,

the butterfly was there.

Before any human, art was made.

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