This female Monarch Butterfly was part of a quartet of three females and a male that we saw yesterday during short walks. This is good news, considering that the species has had ups and downs in recent years.
However, we’re still waiting to see Monarch cocoons and caterpillars in our milkweed bed. We appear to be running about two to three weeks behind our usual natural cycles due to this year’s wetter and colder spring. Here’s an image of one of last year’s Monarch caterpillars:
Yesterday’s male meanderer is shown below. Males have a small black spot on each hind wing; usually and less obviously, males also have thinner black wing veins.
(Brooklin, Maine)