Dearth of Monarchs

I and some of my outdoor buddies have noticed that the Monarchs are very far and few between this season. Yesterday I counted 2 in a 10 mile ride. I should have seen 10s or 100s on the roadsides visiting the asters, and sunflowers. The day before, I saw one. Late last week I saw 3, and during the period of the state fair, our peak day of butterfly sightings on our drive through OKC and the surrounding metro area--8 whole butterflies. Mostly in the OKC area.

It's quite demoralizing. The drought has just kicked these poor butterflies while they are already down.

Thankfully we have gotten some significant rain recently, and this has caused the flowers to rebloom which is a boon for all the pollinators. This drought has been so extreme, I expect a large loss of trees and shrubs by next spring. Hopefully the Monarchs will have a better season next year. Hopefully I will have to eat my words soon, because they will just arrive en masse, a little later than usual.

Posted on October 3, 2012 02:34 PM by greenmother