First sighting

The first Monarch butterfly of the season was flitting around on the butterfly weed.  Very appropriate.

 

More Butterflies

Monarch

Black swallowtail

 

Monarch number 3

Unless the same butterfly is following us, we found monarch number 3 in the sunflower field at the art museum.

 

Yay for the monarchs

The second monarch of the year!  

 

First Monarch this year!

This monarch butterfly found the right plant!  Milkweed flowers must be tasty, there were many different bees and butterflies around.  But for monarchs milkweed leaves are even more important.  They are the only food for the monarch caterpillars.  This butterfly was in the right place.

 

Monarch waystation

Monarch butterflies are endangered, but not on the endangered species list, (go figure).  But more and more I'm seeing areas with native plants, especially milkweed.  Maybe even without government support we can save these creatures.

 

Monarch

I was surprised to see flowers still blooming.  But I was even more surprised to find a monarch butterfly floating around them.

 

Monarch!

Yay for the monarchs!  This is the first one I've seen this year. 

 

Milkweed for Monarchs

The milkweed was growing well at the Prairie Ridge Eco station.  There were lots of butterflies, but it took us a long time to find the queen of all.

We finally found one monarch. I hope she lays some eggs on all the milkweed waiting for her.

Monarch habitat

Durant Nature Park has a monarch habitat restoration area. 

 One problem, if you look at the plants in the picture, there are no milkweeds.  Monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed leaves.  

We looked and looked and finally found three milkweeds off in one corner of the area.  Hopefully the butterflies will find them.  But they probably don't read the sign either.