Monarch invasion!

13 years ago

If you have a butterfly garden, I hope you have asters and heptacodium....

The Monarch invasion is in full swing here today! We're on the migration route for the Monarchs; they gather around here before heading south across the lake. When they head out you can sometimes see rivers of them crossing the sky! They were going nuts today feeding on the asters and heptacodium in the front garden:

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Comments (17)

snowgardener
13 years ago
Oh, how beautiful! I love monarchs. They've pretty much left our area though and I haven't seen any for a few days.
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
13 years ago
Now that must be a lot of fun to be on a migration route for Monarchs. We've barely seen one or two all season. I bet they were happy to see your garden!
schoolhouse_gw
13 years ago
I only saw a handful here during the month of August. Mostly engaged in battle, I was surprised as I had never seen this before.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
13 years ago
Ooooohhhh lucky you, we don't get Monarchs here. I didn't even see a single Swallow Tail this year, in fact no butterflies at all except for a few cabbage moths. I think the hoards of paper wasps we had around here did most of the caterpillars in.

Annette
lily51
13 years ago
What a sight! There have been a few times we have observed large groupings of monarchs at migration time, but not regularly. In fact, this summer seemed to be full of many different kinds of butterflies, but not too many monarchs.
How lucky you are to enjoy this event each year.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Original Author
13 years ago
We do get a lot of Monarchs in September each year, but this year the numbers seem higher than usual! There wasn't a Monarch in sight when we went out around 8:00 to walk the dog this morning. By the time we got back, the sun was out, the temperature rising and the Monarchs were waking up. I think they slept in the cedar tree behind the heptacodium. By 9:00 they were out in force again. Hopefully we can get some pictures when they actually start the migration this year. We never seem to have the camera handy when it happens!
natal
13 years ago
I really love the shots on the asters!
lily51
13 years ago
To monarch lovers...
An intersting site is Journey North. You can track the migration of monarchs, plus other animals.
You can even become part of the observation teams.
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
13 years ago
Woodyoak - absolutely stunning. I saw a few Monarchs this Fall, but nothing like your display. I think I might need a couple of those heptacodiums!!

tfs. Nancy.
Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
13 years ago
Oh Woody! That is fabulous!! We used to be on their migration path but we have not seen them for a number of years. It still makes me sad, so it was so nice to see your beautiful photos!
kathi_mdgd
13 years ago
I love that,was watching some show the other day,think it was one of those mystery ones where they were looking for a body in the fields,and in the background all you could see was butterflies flitting around.

We get the painted ladies migrating thru here.Beautiful sights to watch.Isn't nature Wonderful??
Kathi
gldno1
13 years ago
What a sight! I have had very few Monarchs this year. You are so lucky to be in the flight path.

I hope you can get some more pictures to show us.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Original Author
13 years ago
The Monarch still haven't left - actually, I'm not sure if some of them have left but been replaced with new ones or whether they are all still waiting for the right wind direction to carry them over the lake. In any case, there were still swarms of them out there today! They really seem to love the heptacodium and I think they've been roosting in the cedar behind it at night since they seem to spend a lot of time flying in and around it in the morning.
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It's interesting that they seem to be fussy about what they like. I thought they'd be drawn to the sweet scent that Sweet Autumn clematis is pumping out in the north alley but they seem to have no interest in at at all! (The splash of red in the picture is berries from the honeysuckles that are currently hidden under the clematis.)
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They also largely ignore the 'Alma Potschke' deep pink asters, but swarm the purple asters (not sure of the variety). Randy was only able to get one picture where a Monarch is sitting on a pink aster - and the aster is a paler one that the rest of the Almas (maybe a cross with something else...?)

They also have no interest in the delphinium that is reblooming at the monent:

A couple of other butterflies have been sharing in the feast - not sure of the ID on this one:
gottagarden
13 years ago
Love your photos! Here the monarchs love my Butterfly Bush, no surprize there, I guess. They also cluster over the coneflowers and verbena bonariensis. Haven't noticed them on my asters yet, will look more closely.
goldenpond
13 years ago
lovely!
koszta_kid
13 years ago
I also have had many monarchs. And have area about 15 feet long on tall asters. And they also like my kiss me over garden gate. Will put some rocks in a bird bath so they can get a drink.
organic_kitten
13 years ago
Those are fabulous photos. Thank you for sharing the wonderful sight of so many monarchs in your yard. They are just beautiful!
kay