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Post by chickadeedeedee on Sept 12, 2006 22:36:43 GMT
... they do flutter by in vast numbers this time of year! Here are a few pictures of *SOME* of the ones resting on a portion of one of the weeping willow trees two weeks ago. The whole sky at times was alive with these delightful visitors! Surely they were created to bring a smile to our faces and not just to pollinate some plants!    ChickaDDD |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2006 6:22:41 GMT
fab   & i think i'm doing well if i have 12 butterflies on my buddleia ( mix of red admirals, peacocks & 1 painted lady )  ;D |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2006 15:41:46 GMT
Wonderful Chickadee - just how big are they? |
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Post by Jonah on Sept 13, 2006 19:36:01 GMT
That must be such a beautiful sight! Oh to have flocks like that, I get excited when I see more than one the same!
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Sept 13, 2006 23:09:22 GMT
I have never before seen so many at one time in our garden. Maybe 4-5 at a time was the most before this. I was late for work that morning because I just had to take photographs of these beauties!
They are fairly large and when open their wings would cover a ladies hand. They migrate south to Mexico and beyond for the winter.
C3D
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 14, 2006 6:10:25 GMT
They're wonderful! Do they live for longer than a season then? Or do they migrate to mate and die? When I get depressed about life (and the French!) the thought of apparently extremely fragile creatures like these travelling for miles and miles makes me ashamed of myself for being pathetic.
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Post by torontotrini on Oct 2, 2006 20:19:32 GMT
Hi chicadeedeedee. Nice to see someone on the Board from my neck of the woods .. sort of. North America amyway. Monarchs are great. I get quite a few in my garden during the season, but not in very large numbers all at once. I counted 11 at the same time one Sunday morning. That was the most I've ever seen at one time. I make a point of trying to put in plants that attract them. I get other butterflies, monarchs are the main ones that pass my way and I always try to make sure I have the plants/flowers they like. Buddleia is at the top of the list.
Hi 4P; their migration is amazing. They migrate down from southern Canada all the way down to southern California and Mexico. A journey of over 3,000 kilometers. In fact, there is a town in Mexico called Angangueo, and that is where the migrants usually congregate. Some migrate to Cuba. The way I understand it though is that it is not the same butterfly that starts the juourney that arrives at the end of it. Apparently it takes about four or five generations of monarch populations to complete the migration. Supposedly, each monarch butterfly that journeys to Mexico is the great, great grand offspring of a previous generation to have made it. There was an article in one of our newspapers a couple years back about thousands and thousands of monarchs dying because of a sudden and unseasonal freeze/frost that hit the town. So many died that there were fears that the species would have had a very difficult time re-establishing itself. Fortunately, I read another story I think last year or earlier this year talking about how well and quickly they have re-established their population.
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Oct 3, 2006 0:52:10 GMT
Hi Toronto. Nice to see you here! I am no longer the lone N. American rep. The Monarchs were in trouble a few years ago because of genetic engineering of pest free crops. Apparently the pollen from the pest free designer crops was toxic to the Monarchs and their numbers greatly declined. I believe that it is less of a problem now ... she types with fingers crossed. C3D |
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Post by torontotrini on Oct 3, 2006 14:03:41 GMT
Hi CDD. I wonder if that happened around the same time that the snap freeze in Mexico killed thousands of them. It certainly wouldn't have helped their recovery. Well, they do seem to be doing well in southern Ontario from what I've seen and read. People are becoming more aware of the kinds of plants/habitats they need, and with the great increase in gardening interest over fairly recent years, lots of folks are looking to build wildlife friendly gardens, wild flower gardens etc. Quite a few monarchs came through my garden this year, but not in great numbers all at once. I just picked up 2 summersweet shrubs over the weekend at end-of-season prices to go with the other butterfly friendly plants I already have, so hopefully I'll see more next season. Happy gardening.
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;D
