Monarch near Rosetta Gardens

[Mark S.]

Saw my first Monarch of the season today while out for a bike ride, it was just east of the

Gardens. sorry no pictures. Nice to see one, let's hope there is a lot more on the way. Thanks, Mark

[HowieH]

I think I replied to Mark instead of the group (sorry about that!) so here is the original post and a follow up:

My son and I walked the Leslie Spit on Monday and saw only 3 or 4 monarchs and 1 red admiral, a bit disappointing because there is a lot of healthy looking milkweed in full bloom. The first summer generation mourning cloaks are appearing in Bestview Park. I'm headed out there now despite the heat, will report later if I see anything of interest.

Back from Bestview Park where I saw 2 very fresh eastern commas in what appeared to be a territorial dispute, and a few cabbage whites.  My front lawn milkweed patch is in great shape with lots of healthy plants in full bloom but I've seen only 1 monarch laying eggs in early June.