Here at our home near Lanark, there has been another banner year for the Giant Swallowtail. It’s been almost a repeat of the season of 2013. The first generation emerged in early June and ended in mid-June, feeding mainly on Dame’s Rocket and the orange hawkweed. The second generation started Read more
Today, we had two Monarchs visit the Buddleia in our garden. Over the past week, we’ve had a single Monarch come to the garden most days. Yesterday, there were also a Giant Swallowtail (second of the year), a White Admiral and a Red Admiral. The admirals were on the Buddleia, Read more
On July 29, Chip Taylor, University of Kansas professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and founder and director of Monarch Watch. posted this on Monarch Watch Blog : “Those of you who follow monarchs closely are aware that the monarch population has been declining for the last 10 years with Read more
We finally had a Monarch show up in our garden on August 17. As of today, local naturalist Tim Dyson has counted a total of 46 Monarchs so far this summer. Tony Bigg, another inveterate butterfly watcher, was up to 61 Monarchs as of this week. He had 14 all Read more
Between June 2nd and June 12th, I saw 44 Giant Swallowtails between Cordova Mines, Marmora, Campbellford, Havelock, Norwood, and Stoney Lake. Very brief first flight this year, and started quite late, as often (2013 anyway), I will see them fairly regularly during the third and fourth week of May, and Read more
Just a quick note. I saw a Monarch butterfly flitting around our front hay field on Sunday, June 15. It was amazing to see it as they seemed so few last year. I just saw your article tonight and it reminded me to let you know. Scott Sargent, Omemee
Over the past couple of weeks, the milkweed plants in my perennial garden have literally bolted out of the ground. The Common Milkweeds already have flower buds, and the patch of Butterfly Milkweed is much larger than it was last year. However, as I admire these remarkable plants, I Read more
I ended up seeing a whopping 32 Monarchs this season, after all. In addition, I made a list of all the Giant Swallowtails (87!) I saw – including a few that were observed as roadkills – from August 20th to September 10th or thereabouts. They were all during the second Read more
Regal butterflies rare in the Kawarthas as climate change, pesticide effects take hold Click here to view column
Plight of butterflies one of several stories Drew Monkman is keeping an eye on Click here to view column
Climate change, herbicides and agriculture conspire against a childhood touchstone Click to view column