MONARCH BUTTERFLY NOTES- FRIDAY 7/24/2015

Friday July 24, 2015: Please sign the "Stop Roadside Mowing of Monarch Food Supply" petition. It's not even noon yet and things are hopping at Waystation # 613 in NW Ohio! a male Monarch emerged and I released him onto the tree lawn Cone Flowers. He is healthy as can be and flexed his wings in the gentle wind, letting them dry off completely. He is release #4 and I took this photo of him:



Male Monarch #4 released onto Purple Coneflower

  Shortly thereafter, I checked my backyard Common Milkweed patch and collected 18 eggs...all were laid since yesterday afternoon. More Monarch butterflies are visiting my yard, drawn by the scent of the milkweed plants. Here is a photo of the backyard waystation - there are roughly 30 Common Milkweed plants in it:



Backyard Common Milkweeds attract Monarch females.

     I checked the plastic containers and noticed many of the 70+ cream-colored Monarch eggs have turned pale grey with a black spot on the top. They will be hatching shortly. I will have many mouths to feed, so will collect milkweed leaves, wash them off (for OE virus), then store them in zip-lock bags in the refrigerator (They last forever when you do that).   

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Cumulative log 7/24/2015:

Total Monarch eggs collected- 78

Total Monarch caterpillars collected- 1

Monarchs released- 4 (3 males, 1 female)

 



Make a Difference! Please sign this petition. Thank you!

 

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is dedicated to saving the Monarch butterfly. If you have any comments or pro-Monarch info to share, please contact him on the Secure Contact Form and, if you like, he will publish it on this blog. He enjoys hearing from fellow Monarch lovers!