Popping all over my backyard are green stalks of whorled leaves. The tallest are about 12" high. Break off a leaf and a sticky white liquid oozes out. A poisonous liquid for most creatures. Except for our state butterfly - monarch. So, with plenty of milkweed available, that means the monarchs can return and they have!
Wednesday was a sunny, warm day - finally after days and days of rain. At about 5 p.m., flitting around the yard was a female monarch butterfly. She stopped at several of the taller milkweed plants. When I checked the leaves later, there was one egg towards the top of one of the inner leaves.
By this time last year, the first group of eggs had already grow, pupated, and hatched as butterflies. That meant we had three hatchings of monarchs over the course of last summer. This year, hopefully, we'll get two.
But at least they are back!
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