My Yard ~ White M Hairstreak ~ #41 Yard Species 2017

In 2013, I saw a White M Hairstreak here in the yard on my canna leaves but since then nary a sighting  Just now I saw a small butterfly on the rotten fruit but it was with 2 other butterflies so I couldn't ID with my bins.  Out, I went and to my great surprise, it was a White M Hairstreak on the rotten fruit.  These area a rarely seen butterfly here.

.

My Yard ~ Monarch's in the Garden

Partly cloudy, cool with winds 18+ MPH has kept the Monarch's in hiding but I still have 20+ around to see today.

My Yard ~ Monarch's On Their Way to Mexico

When I got up this AM just after the sun came up I was able to see the Monarch's warm up and fly off.  I can only think that they are off to their next stop with their eventual destination of Mexico.  There were about 50 Monarch's left in the yard including these 2 today.

Monarch eclosed this AM

Tagged Monarch XBG592 coming through

My Yard ~ Monarch Butterfly Bonanza ~ Day 4

Feeding on Tropical Milkweed during the morning

The past few days have been the most incredible of my butterflying life.  Back on 10/18, the butterfly numbers started to grown in my yard.  I have had up to 18 species but the Monarch's started to come and have just increased in numbers every day.  It has been amazing.  I believe that there are more than 500 butterflies in my yard.  Each evening the have been roosting on both my canna plants and in my Cherry tree.  The light isn't good enough to get pictures in the Cherry tree but these are pictures of the canna's tonight before sunset as the Monarch were still getting set-up for the night.

MY Yard ~ Monarch's in the Yard ~ Day 3

Tag# SPR890

My Yard ~ Monarch Butterflies ~ Early Morning Roosts

My Yard ~ More Evening Monarch Roosts

My Yard ~ Monarch Bonanza ~ Day 2

My Yard ~ Monarch Roosts in the Morning

It was very interesting to go out this morning to see the roosts from last night.  We had dew outside everywhere including on all of the butterflies.  If you enlarge the pictures to full size you can see it easily on their wings.  Not to mention having the Monarch's continue in great numbers here in the yard is incredible.  I have never had this many at one time here since I started gardening.

My Yard ~ Evening Monarch Roosts~ Monarch Bonanza

It was another wonderful Fall day here  ~ 70's, sunny with winds 5-7 MPH.  I counted 67 Monarch's in the yard in the morning with more continuing to arrive all day long.  The Monarch's have been nectaring on Tropical Milkweed, Blue Rhea Salvia, Lantana, and Mexican Sage.  About dinnertime I went out and was surprised to see the Monarch's beginning to roost on my canna's in addition to roosting in the Cherry Tree in the backyard.  This is the highest number of Monarch's ever for my yard.  In addition I had a total number of 16 species with high numbers of American & Painted Ladies and Common Buckeyes.

My yard ~ Monarch Bonanza

Halloween Postcards

Here are a few of the fabric Halloween postcards I have received in my group Art4Mail.  It's always great to receive some mail and I like to display them each year so others can enjoy them.

My Yard ~ Small Monarch Roosts

My Yard ~ Recent Arrivals

Clouded Sulphur

Always happy to see the return of the Long-tailed Skipper, a Southern migrant.

Long-tailed Skipper

Another Southern migrant returned, an Ocola Skipper

This year is the best I have ever had in the yard for the Ocola Skippers.

Common Checkered Skipper, last seen here in 2015, is the 39th species for this yard for 2017. 
This makes it the highest yard total for since I began to monitor butterflies.

My Yard ~ Painted Lady Butterfly Irruption

Painted Lady butterflies are everywhere in the yard!

My Yard ~ Orange Sulphur Butterflies

Cape May Point ~ Monarch Butterfly Roosts

Those interested in Monarch Butterflies know that after they roost all night the morning sun warms them before the butterflies fly away.  You'll see one or two monarch get warmed up and will move off the branches looking for another perch in the sun to continue warming up.  At the Point, Seaside Goldenrod is a popular choice for migrating Monarch's.  The colors always look so pretty.  So this AM there were a number of other people over to watch the lift off of the Monarch's after a night of huddling together.