Weekender July 12 & 13, 2025

[Dave]

Welcome to the weekend. I hope it turns out a good one for us all.

Nothing new to share, so here's an oldie of a Monarch resting on a dried flower in our front yard...

   

[Rich]

Thanks for starting the Weekender Dave!

Beautiful Butterfly Dave! The old Wet Canvas population used to call them flutterbys.
The have a unbelievable migration pattern. They come to us in SD from TX.

Here is one of my favorite classics, a 55' T-bird.

[Dave]

Thanks Rich. That is indeed a classic, and nice job on the photo.

The various Monarch migrations are amazing. In the case of ones west of the Rockies (and probably true for those in your area)  the migration takes multiple generations, which  makes one in awe of how the generation that returns to California (and maybe further north) knows how to get back home. To me this is incredible. A small butterfly, with a brain many thousands of times smaller than ours, can do things we can't do. Isn't mother Nature and evolution mind-boggling?

[Rich]

Thanks Dave!
I agree with your last two sentences, they can fly  to us in the Midwest from the South and we get lost in a strange town without GPS!

Found this :

• Spring/Summer Generations:
  .
  These monarchs live for a relatively short period (2-5 weeks) as they focus on mating and laying eggs to produce the next generation. 
  
  
• Migratory Generation (Fall):
  .
  This generation, born in late summer or early fall, enters reproductive diapause and can live for 6-9 months. They are the ones that migrate south to overwintering locations. 
  
  
• Overwintering:
  .
  Monarchs overwinter in specific locations in Mexico and California, where they remain inactive until the following spring. 
  
  
• Spring Return:
  .
  In the spring, these overwintering monarchs become active, mate, and begin laying eggs as they move north, starting the cycle anew. 
  

[Dave]

Rich,

Thanks for the excellent info about Monarch migrations. I learned a lot from the links, and even realized that some of what I believed on the subject was probably wrong.