I was thrilled to find a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) in my garden yesterday afternoon!
First monarch I’ve seen on the butterfly milkweed this year.
Butterfly milkweed is the host plant for the endangered monarch butterfly as well as a nectar source for other butterflies and bees.
Continue reading Photo of the Week: Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed
With my plans to create a more bird and butterfly friendly yard, last year I replanted one of my flowers beds with Swamp Milkweed and other native Michigan plants. The milkweed plants had a couple blossoms last summer, which surprised me. From my research, I understood it would take a year for milkweed to establish… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Monarch Butterfly on Swamp Milkweed
When I was growing up, seeing a Monarch butterfly was something I took for granted.
I would see the brilliant orange and black butterflies on a daily basis throughout the summer.
Monarchs were common in our yard, stopping on brightly-colored flowers to sip nectar. I remember chasing them with a butterfly net, rarely being to catch one.
Never in my mind would I have thought one day Monarchs would be considered endangered.
Yet, that’s what happened this month when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migratory monarch butterfly to its Red List of threatened species.
The migratory Monarch butterfly is now considered an endangered species.
Continue reading Photo of the Week: The Endangered Migratory Monarch Butterfly