MONARCH BUTTERFLIES LAYING EGGS EARLY IN NW OHIO!

I didn't expect to witness a Monarch butterfly, but I did. Tattered and appearing as if it flew a considerable distance and weathered a few storms...there it was at Wolf Creek Park in Sandusky County, Ohio. I tried to snap a photo but it was wary of my presence and flew across the field as if it was on a special mission...which it was. The Common Milkweed plants were thriving, so I checked the leaves and collected 13 Monarch eggs off of 8 plants.

Last year, I didn't see a Monarch until June, so I was both surprised and happy. I scrubbed out my "nursery" plastic aquarium and placed the milkweed leaves and attached eggs in it, atop a moist paper towel. I can't believe it...the Monarch butterfly season has started early for me at Waystation No. 613. I took these photos today, 5/13/12 before collecting them.

Here's another shot of three leaves collected with one egg on each. I collected 8 more leaves with a total of 13 eggs. I didn't see any more Monarch butterflies and wondered if the one tattered adult had laid all of them. Despite her weathered appearance, she flittered rapidly through the meadow doing her duty to  perpetuate her species.

It was 70 degrees and I soon overheated. It's not easy bending over and checking the underside of each milkweed leaf I came across, especially in the hot sun. So, I sought shelter in the woodlands of Wolf Creek Park and enjoyed the cool shade of towering trees along the Sandusky River. That female Monarch butterfly made my day! The Monarch raising season has officially begun at Monarch Waystation No. 613 in Fremont, Ohio!

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Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S believes urban sprawl can be offset by creating wildlife-friendly spaces in America's 25,000,000 lawns, one yard at a time! Click HERE to learn why. A portion of Ad revenues (10%) will be donated to Monarch Watch, earmarked for their Monarch Waystation program. Do you have a wildlife-friendly space? Please share it! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.