what happened to the Monarch butterflies?

[eye2dry]

hello to All.

I live in Ohio.

I have native milkweed growing on my property and in my flower beds I have

nursery stock Butterfly Weed (it is bright orange flowers).

Every summer starting in late July I see the Monarch catipillars eating the leaves

till they get the size on my pinkie finger. They then crawl off and spin their beautiful

light green with gold dots of a chrysalis.

As it changes shape the chrysalis gets transparent and then it hatches.


Well, not this year. I saw absolutely NO Monarchs on my property whatsoever.

Has anyone heard of a natural disaster that has caused this? Has anyone close to me

seen either a Monarch butterfly or a catipillar ??


eye2dry

[quietdynamics]

Maybe they all came here? They were even on the patio lounge.

I commented that I had never seen so many butterflies as this year.
I did plant some perennials last year that attract butterflies that did well this year despite the wet and dry weather...with not much in between. Our daylilies did not even bloom, tea roses...nada.

There were butterfly releases announced on the radio. I have yet to make it to one.

Never see many fireflies anymore...
Just plenty of mosquitoes. Maybe they can do GMO so they light up and we can "whack" them easier?

Major thunder and lightening hitting now...

[Nancy60]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/08/12/monarch-butterfly-population-dwindles/92fpTCTPZeK7VFqNqMCbXI/story.html

I found this. I haven't seen many monarchs either, it's been really hot and dry here so maybe the milkweed didn't do well.

Nancy

[irish]

In MN the milkweed hasn't done well due to the drouth so the butterflies are not around much. I would not doubt that some of these could be caused by all the chemicals used on the crops, too.

Also, we had tons of fireflies this summer. The dark nights were filled with them. I have never in all my years seen these many fireflies. Good thing that these creatures show up here and there cause Gods Green Earth is still taking care of them. Irish

[Velcro]

We haven't had many butterflies this year either.  I think ours was too much rain maybe hurting their cacoons? (We're 19" above normal this year). 

What we are having this week, that's driving me bonkers is Woolly Aphids!  I hate those pesky things!

[wisconsin41]

In the past 3 years monarchs have been decimated on at least 2 occasions:

2010: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/20/nation/la-na-monarchs20-2010mar20

and in
2012: The drought again hammered the population by drying up plants. Leaving very little to lay eggs on and feed on when they returned to mexico.

Habitat: Monarchs only over winter in Mexico, where their forests are being cut down at extraordinary rates.
Their population is only 50% or less of the yearly average. Once the trees in Mexico are cut down they will be extinct.

Andy
P.S. I only saw 2 this year

[eye2dry]

How terribly sad. 

At times I am ashamed to be a human.

eye2dry

[Deb]

The bumble bees and the butterflies are being wiped out due to the pesticides used with GMO crops.  Monsanto has modified corn and soy and a few other things by building the pesticide right into the plant.  Because of that the weeds have become resistant, cause mother nature is AMAZING, the farmers have to use a stronger pesticide now.  Round up is killing our creatures and us!  There is lots of information on line about all of this.  It is so bad that experts are asking people to plant bee and butterfly friendly gardens.  I am so glad you have milkweed!!!!!  I live on the other side of the country and we don't get monarchs but I planted a beautiful garden this year just for them!  Bumblebees abound but not many butterflies.  KEEP THAT MILKWEED GROWING!!!

[genko_b]

Our garden in Seattle had lots of monarchs this past summer, and they do not normally come here. Also we have had numerous bees, numerous types of bees in fact.

Genko

[Deb]

THAT is awesome Genko.... sad but amazing!!  They did not make it up to BC