Monarchs

These Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) appear happy the rains have ended. I count at least 25 on this stand of Goldenrod (Genus Solidago L.). Below: One individual in close up.



The Monarchs far outnumber the Swallowtails and Sulphurs now that the sun has returned. The others must be a little slower to dry off and get moving. I have made some images of a pair of Monarchs in the rain on Saturday that I've not yet developed. I was impressed with their ability to fly despite the constant drizzle and breezy conditions.

Monarchs are very large 3 1/2-4 inches (89-102 mm). Perhaps there size gives them an advantage.



They are currently migrating southward where they will overwinter.



One of the best known butterflies, the Monarch is the only butterfly that annually migrates both north and south like some bird species. However, no single individual makes the entire round-trip journey.



In the fall, Monarchs in the North begin to congregate and to move southward. Midwestern and eastern Monarchs continue south all the way to the Sierra Madre of middle Mexico, where they spend the winter among fir forests at high altitudes. Far western and Sierra Nevada Monarchs fly to the central and southern coast of California, where they cluster in groves of pine, cypress, and eucalyptus in Pacific Grove and elsewhere.



Winter butterflies are sluggish and do not reproduce; they venture out to take nectar on warm days. In spring they head north, breed along the way, and their offspring return to the starting point. Both Mexican and international efforts are underway to protect the millions of Monarchs that come to Mexico. In California, nearly all of the roosting sites face threatening development.



In Florida they're heading for the vast wetlands of the central peninsula known as the Everglades. There they will be safe from cold and find plenty of winter-flowering plants like the asters pictured above.