First Monarch of Season | Accent on Natural Landscaping

Saturday, May 25th I was moving a mulch pile and I was fortunate to notice the first Monarch of the season. Later in the afternoon, we saw two of them dancing together. They moved so elegantly, but so fast I wasn’t able to get another photo. It took me 30 minutes of following this one around with my camera just to get this photo. She was flitting around from one bloom to the next so fast!

First Monarch butterfly of the season. Thank goodness the Virginia Bluebells (*Mertensia* *virginica*) were still blossoming. This year, however, probably because of the cold, wet weather we’ve had, the bluebells seem to be tall and lanky and don’t have the number of blossoms they’ve had in the past.

Note: The US Fish and Wildlife Service (UWFWS) has extended the deadline to determine whether the Monarch butterfly warrants Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. With agreement of the plaintiffs, USFWS will continue efforts to collect data and analyze the Monarch’s status and threats until December 15, 2020.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply