Dear Monarch friends,
Below is a neat little video about Monarch puddling made by the Upper Valley Land Trust and sent to me by a friend who lives in Norwich, VT. The video describes behavior exhibited by Monarch butterflies to get additional nutrients and minerals beyond what they receive from nectaring. I have witnessed this behavior in my driveway, and now I understand why.

Any adult Monarch butterflies you’re lucky to see now are the super migrators – that generation “bulking up” to make the epic journey to their wintering site in Mexico. I am watching 4 chrysalides on and around my porch, with one about to emerge into a butterfly any minute. Beyond that, when I did my data collection today, I found only one caterpillar left on a plant just about bare of leaves, but bursting with milkweed seeds. Summer is truly winding down.

For those of you who have participated in this project for two years, how does this summer’s Monarch population compare with last summer? Please share your thoughts and observations.

https://view.bbsv2.net/bbext/?p=land&id=CB1CD153917E6BFFE0530100007F3389&vid=bfed2dff-45d8-4462-b188-199d7e059de8

Take care,
Judy