Looking for Monarch Butterflies...

[RecycleMichael]

The annual migration has started. Billions of Monarch Butterflies fly south to a mountain spot in Mexico to winter and many travel through Tulsa. The large groups have been spotted in Nebraska this weekend which means they should be in Tulsa soon.

Have you experienced this in Tulsa?

[Ed W]

When my kids were small, we often went to the elementary school playground in the evenings, if only to give Mama a little break.  Once, we had a moderate north wind, and I noticed what appeared to be leaves drifting along at 50 to 100 feet up.  Sure, there were trees nearby but the wind wasn't strong enough to carry leaves like that.  I had binoculars in my pocket.  They revealed butterflies, not leaves.

I thought there were other insects drifting with them, until the binoculars showed hawks riding thermals at well over 1000 feet, high enough to be in the terminal control area for the airport.  Indeed, some aircraft went by under the hawks.

That was many years ago.  I need to get out more.

[Red Arrow]

I thought there were other insects drifting with them, until the binoculars showed hawks riding thermals at well over 1000 feet, high enough to be in the terminal control area for the airport.  Indeed, some aircraft went by under the hawks.

Hawks and other soaring birds get up to several thousand feet of altitude. I don't remember at the moment the highest I've seen one but it is certainly over 4000 ft above the ground.   I occasionally get to fly with them, me in my sailplane.  Mostly sailplane pilots join the birds in thermals (birds are better at finding thermals than we are) but occasionally one of the feathered birds will join us.  Really great feeling.

[sgrizzle]

I have 11 monarch crysalis' in my house. Should have butterflies shortly.

[mrsgrizzle]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=137707&id=649369041

Praying we get all 11 butterflies! The first one transformed on August 30, so based on the 9-14 day cycle, we should be seeing activity this week!

[Red Arrow]

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=137707&id=649369041

Praying we get all 11 butterflies! The first one transformed on August 30, so based on the 9-14 day cycle, we should be seeing activity this week!

Can/will you post the pictures somewhere that I don't have to log in to see the pictures please.

[Conan71]

Mr & Mrs. Grizzle- that is really cool.  How did you wind up with the butterflies in the first place?

[sgrizzle]

2ft square area surrounded by concrete in front of our house where we tried to get a rose bush to grow, milkweed thrived. Suddenly it was overrun with caterpillars so we transplanted them to a large clear box I got at Home Depot.

[Conan71]

2ft square area surrounded by concrete in front of our house where we tried to get a rose bush to grow, milkweed thrived. Suddenly it was overrun with caterpillars so we transplanted them to a large clear box I got at Home Depot.

That is so neat, I had no idea milkweed would attract them.

[sgrizzle]

That is so neat, I had no idea milkweed would attract them.

Neither did I.. I didn't even know it was milkweed.

[mrsgrizzle]

Can/will you post the pictures somewhere that I don't have to log in to see the pictures please.

Sorry, I thought my Facebook page was open to anyone -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GScd3Oi7XSA
http://www.dropshots.com/mrsgrizzle#date/2009-08-27/15:14:17  (Scroll down through the pics to get to the chrysalises)

[cannon_fodder]

Milkweed is the preferred (some would say only, and I don't know for sure) food for Monarch caterpillars.   

I saw a few Monarchs this weekend, but no large groups of them.

[mrsgrizzle]

That is so neat, I had no idea milkweed would attract them.

This climbing plant (now we know is climbing milkweed) produced a weird, cool seed pod last year and we had no idea what it was until we found the caterpillars on there last week. We looked the caterpillars up and found they were monarchs, then we found out monarchs' host plant is milkweed, so I searched climbing milkweed and found pictures of the seed pods like we had last fall. I am so in love with this project, it might become a yearly thing. With monarch population in decline, anything we can do to further their chances of survival, we will do. Apparently their chances of making it from egg to adulthood is significantly lower outside our front door.

[Red Arrow]

Sorry, I thought my Facebook page was open to anyone -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GScd3Oi7XSA
http://www.dropshots.com/mrsgrizzle#date/2009-08-27/15:14:17  (Scroll down through the pics to get to the chrysalises)

Great video and pics.  Thanks.

[mrsgrizzle]

http://www.dropshots.com/mrsgrizzle#date/2009-09-10/08:08:00

We're expecting our first hatchling butterfly in the next day.