09/27/2026
I call these two particular Monarchs, travelers. They are newly emerged from my back yard. They grew up on the swamp milkw**d that grows in my garden.
They spent an entire day feasting at my Butterfly bush and then, they were gone. One is a male, see the 2 black spots on the bottom set of wings? One is a female. She lacks the black dots & has thicker black veins on her wings.
See, Monarchs that emerge this time of year travel to Mexico to winter over.
A regular Monarch's life span is about 3 weeks.
These travelers live 6-7 months. Only the ones who emerge right now, live that long. These traveling Monarchs don't mate.They fly hundreds of miles to Mexico, winter over, then begin their trek back to the US. During this return trip, they find a mate & then the "regular" life cycle for them begins.
The children of these original travelers, will come find my backyard & my swamp milk w**d to start the process all over. Monarchs are amazing creatures that point to a magnificent creator!
The last Butterfly is a painted lady. We used to raise them in my classroom when I worked in Juvenile Detention. Every year, I am reminded of what a great experience that was for my students. We'd hatch them in the classroom & then I'd bring them to my yard to to release them in my gardens. I continue to see them each year... I just love butterlies!
