Tag Archives: Monarch Butterfly

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Susan Zerwick photographed this beautiful Monarch Butterfly several weeks ago but no other sightings of them came in. But the past couple of days, I have been seeing Monarchs at our flowering pink abelia bush.

And yesterday, at the Climate Conference in Gualala, I looked out the door of the Community Center and saw several Monarchs. These are the Methuselah generation, the long-lived generation. They live about seven month0.s The Monarchs we are seeing now are the ones to migrate southward.

Monarch Butterfly numbers are way down and we are quite worried about them. The world would be a poorer place with these beauties.

Thanks to Linda for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Sunshine abounds on the coast today. Lots of whale spouts have been seen with the Pacific Ocean doing its best impersonation of a lake!

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The weather has turned warm and calm, a good prescription for seeing butterflies. In this case, Craig Tooley photographed the king of butterflies, a Monarch.

I reported Craig's sighting to Journey North, a citizen science website where they track the migrations of various animals, including Monarchs. You can participate at this link: https://journeynorth.org/monarchs

To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Paul Brewer photographed this beautiful Monarch resting on a geranium.

The winds shifted a bit yesterday, bringing smoke to the coast. Not as bad as a week ago when Paul took this eerie photo of the sun.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

We are doing our best rain dance. Want to join in?

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This is the time of year we have daily sightings of Monarch Butterflies. These are the members of the Methuselah generation, the longer-lived butterflies that will migrate south. They are feeding and gathering strength for their migration. I saw this one feeding on my abelia bush and then resting on a nearby leaf.

Catherine Miller photographed this Monarch feeding on her lantana.

Today is the autumnal equinox. What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons with photos of Monarch Butterflies.

Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Happy autumn, everyone!

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This is the time of year when the fall migration of Monarch butterflies occurs. I have seen one or two nearly every time the sun comes out and warms things up. I am always thrilled to see one. Barbara Rice sent in photos of a male and a female Monarch. The male, shown below, has two dark scent spots on its lower wings. Can you see them?

male-monarch-has-two-scent-spots-on-lower-wings-photo-courtesty-of-barbara-riceThe female does not have these two spots.

female-monarch-lacks-the-two-scent-spots-photo-courtesty-of-barbara-riceThis generation of Monarchs is called the Methuselah generation. They are the ones who migrate, and they live seven months.

Here's a photo taken by Craig Tooley that appears in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year. Looks like it's a female!

monarch-butterfly-with-pink-flowers-oct-by-craig-tooleyThanks to Barbara for sending in the first two photos, and to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com