Three years ago, I planted pink milkweed, Asclepias Incarnata, in the back of our house to attract and help Monarch butterflies, whose number has been in decline in recent years. The first year several came, and then there were Monarch caterpillars crawling on the milkweed plants. Then after a few days they disappeared, maybe eaten by the many birds flying around our bird feeder. Last year, not one single Monarch showed up.
This year, at least one did appear, captured in the following photos.
Eliza Waters said:
I hope you get caterpillars. I read that spiders and wasps will eat the larva, so you might keep an eye out for predators around your plants if you have a hatch.
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neihtn2012 said:
I will try to keep an eye out for them
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Amy said:
That a great sign! These photos are incredible.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Amy!
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Nick Hunter said:
Beautiful series. Congrats on your habitat management success!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Nick! Milkweed is easy to grow.
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Raj said:
Wow.. great captures..sharp and vivid..well thats what make a great photograph!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much Raj!
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T Ibara Photo said:
They are so beautiful. I do hope they will not be in decline forever…
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neihtn2012 said:
Yes, let’s hope their numbers will rise, into the millions again, like there used to be when I first saw them 40 years ago.
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Sue Slaght said:
What a delight to see. The color is remarkable.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much Sue!
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quietsolopursuits said:
Great images, I don’t know what else to say, because they are very close to perfect!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for your kind comment, Jerry!
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bluebrightly said:
That must have made you so happy! Your photographs are beautiful. Let’s hope there are more this year – it’s not too late!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! Today I saw another one, so there may be a couple flying around the backyard.
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dweezer19 said:
Gorgeous, perfect images!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for your kind comments!
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Tom Heuerman said:
Beautiful!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Tom!
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katelon said:
Lovely!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Katelon!
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