WNC Monarch Sightings

| Email us to report your sightings! | 

If you are looking for a delightful outing, visit the NC Arboretum to see a new, full-color wall panel on the monarch butterfly life cycle now on display in the hallway of the first floor of the Education Center, near the gift and snack shop. It will be on display until mid-November.

Scattered monarchs continue to be reported north of us, so it is still possible to see some of the late migrants in your gardens and nectaring in meadows or unmown clover fields for a couple of weeks.

Please make time in your busy lives to spend some time outdoors this week, observing the natural rhythms of nature. You may wish to take along a journal and record some thoughts or drawings. Take along a picnic and a friend.

It is great to be alive in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

Keep looking up... and about... Ina.

We thought we had all the caterpillars we could find and low and
behold, there is another 3rd and a 5th! Glad we have some milkweed to feed them. So now we watch a total of three for a few more weeks. Today there were two females and one male enclose to join up with the others flying around out there.

Hi from Brevard. Our Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (www.mlmp.org) is winding down. As of this date we have released 52 monarchs: 26 females and 26 males! Nice how Mother Nature sorts things out, isn't it? We have a few more chrysalides to go and one lone 3rd instar. We have that one in a box and enough milkweed left from our dwindling milkweed patch to sustain it. This one has a long way to go to catch up with its mates, but last year we had one eclose on Nov 1st. If you want to see photos from this site, go to the Web address above, click on photo gallery, then click on NC for the Pearsall site.

In the past, I've seen a few monarchs fly through my yard. This year, they are feeding at my butterfly bushes. Yesterday and today, there have been 10 - 15 on the bushes all day. I live about 5 miles east of the Arboretum between Brevard Rd. and Sand Hill Rd.

On September 21 about 3 in the afternoon I came home and as I stopped at my mailbox a cloud of Monarchs flew up out of my Butterfly bushes. I estimated there were about 50 monarchs. They hung around all afternoon and I enjoyed taking some pictures. There was some breeze which made taking pictures even more difficult. I live in Candler on Daniel Ridge Rd. I think the temperature was in the low 80’s that afternoon. I have never seen them in mass like that in my yard. The next day there were still about 6 or 8 and I have seen an occasional one since.

Eunice

We live on top of Chestnut Top mountain at 3150 feet, in High Vista Country Club, 5 miles south of the Arboretum. On Wednesday night, September 19, we were outside on our deck at 7pm (just before sunset at 7:30) and witnessed thousands of monarchs! They were settling into tall trees for the night. It was in the 60's with hardly any wind at all. Before and since that time we've had them up here flitting around our butterfly bushes, but never that many at once.

Jaimie Passmore
Mills River, NC
(An Arboretum member)

Sunday afternoon, Sept. 23 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina (Lat. 36.08 N ), (at Pilot Ridge Overlook, near milepost 302,) the sky was blue, but dotted with orange and black. My friend, Aubrie, and I tagged 125 monarchs in four hours before we ran out of tags. Our friends, Carolyn and John were able to count 1033 during that time. John looked out from the ridge through his binoculars and could see lots more flying. So we know there were many monarchs passing by that were not counted. Around 5:30, while Aubrie and I were still tagging, John and Carolyn noticed that the monarchs were beginning to alter their behavior. Rather than moving on through, the butterflies began to circle back and remain in the area. When our tags were depleted (and most of our energy!) we sat on the grass and enjoyed watching dozens of monarchs nectaring on the goldenrod and asters six feet in front of us. As the light faded and the temperature dropped we watched intently, hoping to discover where the monarchs would roost for the night. The leeward side of a nearby oak tree seemed to be the favored spot. As the chill began to affect us as well, we decided to end our wonderful day on the Blue Ridge and head to our own roosting sites. What a glorious, fun day! 

Peace,
Nancy Barrigar
(along with Aubrie Abernethy, and John & Carolyn Martin)

They're Heeeeerrrrrreee! Wednesday evening, 9/19 at Tunnel Gap (milepost 415.6) on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I counted roughly 300 migrating monarchs sailing about 15 feet off the ground heading south. Around 6:30 pm, they started to roost in the red oak trees at the overlook as the temperatures started to fall. By 7pm a cluster of an estimated 75 or more was in one branch. One would not have known they were monarchs as their brightly colored wings were closed for the night and they just looked like a few brownish colored leaves. With the warmth of the morning sun, they will leave the roosts, look about for nectar in the goldenrods, New England purple asters, Joe Pye Weeds and thistles and continue to make their way, a day at a time, to central Mexico. Please make time to visit wildflower meadows and the Parkway this week (and perhaps for the next ten days or so) to enjoy this natural miracle of life. Keep looking up! - Ina. wildwood3@citcom.net

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 9/18 and 9/19: Migrating monarchs are being spotted in the area, especially along roadsides with goldenrods in bloom. In a one hour drive in the Asheville area, we spotted 30+ monarchs.

"We have seen a few in Brevard during the summer. The ones we could see were females laying eggs in our milkweed patch. We have joined the Monarch Larva Monitoring Program www.mlmp.org, have become a certified Monarch Waystation (effective today)--thanks to Ina Warren's encouragement and have about 30 pupae in vented shoe boxes waiting to greet the world soon! Thanks for the opportunity to email you our sightings. Stay tuned for more."

July 19, 2007

"A lone Monarch visited my butterfly garden this morning before 11 am. I live in Shelby NC. I have Monarch in my garden each year. Vickie Jo NC folk artist"

"Saw our first Monarch of the season this morning. We're 10 miles east of Statesville, NC on Hwy 64."

June 26, 2007

"Two monarchs came to my backyard in Mills River, visiting my Echinacea and looking for the buddleia that will soon be blooming."

"One lone Monarch during the warmer weather in early April on Distant View.  Drive in south Asheville, elevation about 3000 feet."

"We have begun to spot Monarchs at our camping site in Wilkes county.  They are there every year.  We always think of my mother when we see them."

Every day for the past week or so 6-10 monarchs feed on my sunny buddleia bushes here in Saluda NC.  How wonderful to share this! 

 September 27, 2006

Several Monarchs sighted around the Leicester area.  One was spotted headed south, the other headed southwest.  There is plenty of wildflowers still in bloom to help fuel their trip.