Tag Archives: Monarch Butterfly

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We usually see many Monarchs in the autumn here on the Mendonoma Coast. But sightings this year have been few and far between - not good news for these beautiful butterflies. However, Molly McKusick found this one at The Sea Ranch.

And Grace O'Malley photographed this one in Timber Cove.

I saw a large orange butterfly this morning from my house, but it was too far to confirm if it was a Monarch, but I'd like to believe it was!

Thanks to Molly and Grace for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Another clear, dry day, with mild temperatures. Thank goodness we had those two storms before this high pressure system moved back in. Last night there was a green flash at sunset, and conditions for one tonight look very promising.

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Susan Zerwick photographed this beautiful Monarch Butterfly several weeks ago but no other sightings of them came in. But the past couple of days, I have been seeing Monarchs at our flowering pink abelia bush.

And yesterday, at the Climate Conference in Gualala, I looked out the door of the Community Center and saw several Monarchs. These are the Methuselah generation, the long-lived generation. They live about seven month0.s The Monarchs we are seeing now are the ones to migrate southward.

Monarch Butterfly numbers are way down and we are quite worried about them. The world would be a poorer place with these beauties.

Thanks to Linda for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Sunshine abounds on the coast today. Lots of whale spouts have been seen with the Pacific Ocean doing its best impersonation of a lake!

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The weather has turned warm and calm, a good prescription for seeing butterflies. In this case, Craig Tooley photographed the king of butterflies, a Monarch.

I reported Craig's sighting to Journey North, a citizen science website where they track the migrations of various animals, including Monarchs. You can participate at this link: https://journeynorth.org/monarchs

To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Paul Brewer photographed this beautiful Monarch resting on a geranium.

The winds shifted a bit yesterday, bringing smoke to the coast. Not as bad as a week ago when Paul took this eerie photo of the sun.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

We are doing our best rain dance. Want to join in?

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This is the time of year we have daily sightings of Monarch Butterflies. These are the members of the Methuselah generation, the longer-lived butterflies that will migrate south. They are feeding and gathering strength for their migration. I saw this one feeding on my abelia bush and then resting on a nearby leaf.

Catherine Miller photographed this Monarch feeding on her lantana.

Today is the autumnal equinox. What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons with photos of Monarch Butterflies.

Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Happy autumn, everyone!