HelpfulGardener.com

I came home from the store Thursday to see a Monarch butterfly flitting around my milkweed plants. I haven't had the chance to look for eggs because I had to have stuff for the swap meet but I'll be looking tomorrow if I get a chance. I know it's not one of the several that I had here last year but maybe it's one of the grand or great grand children of my butterflies.

It also means the garden won't get worked up like I wanted. The tiller is out of commission and I don't want to destroy the milkweed that is growing there. I'll just have to work around it.

Yay! Is this about the right time for your area? My lot should be starting to trickle in around late June to early July.

That's great!

That's great. I guess that is why my butterfly bush is determined to set blooms.

Yes, it's about the right time. I almost always see a couple females a week or so before the milkweed starts blooming. The first milkweed blooms opened yesterday.

I've spotted 1 monarch so far. It was nectaring on on a coneflower. There are enough flowers for bees and butterflies for nectaring, and plenty of milkweeds between ones I have growing, and the starts ready for market. Last year didn't see eggs and cats until later, even end of summer.
Interesting in checking the butterfly count from yesterday in a natural area (park) just N of town, just 3 monarchs spotted.

Meanwhile I spotted not 1 but 6 huge green tomato worms on a tomato plant this AM. That plant has been stressed in this past weeks heat, and I am sure the caterpillar invasion didn't help!