Did you know the woman who helped discover the migratory home of the Monarch butterflies in 1975 lives in Austin? This morning’s paper has an article about her and her late husband tracking the butterflies in Mexico. There’s a photo of her posing in front of a poster of her covered in butterflies that was the cover of a National Geographic magazine.

The Bullock Texas State History Museum IMAX theater is currently showing “Flight of the Butterflies” about the discovery.


http://www.statesman.com/news/...

Oh...I remember reading about her long ago! I can't even imagine what it was like! And I can understand the mistrust of the Mexican people for those Canadian researchers. Without the help of this woman born in the state of Michoacan, they might not have ever found the winter Monarch habitat!

I bet her life isn't going to be "quiet" now. I bet she'll have reporters all over her property now, looking for interviews.

BTW, we saw a couple in our front yard a few days ago. They were there a long time, so I walked out. They had a little boy, about three, with them. They were following a Monarch around the yard with their son, who was delighted to watch it fly to each little lantana blossom! 'Was quite a treat for all of us! That's the second one I've seen in a week. I wonder if they're starting the migration early?

Maybe! I haven't seen any Monarchs yet! I'm putting out pieces of very ripe banana for some early Red Admirals (they like fruit as well as flower nectar), however. What's really funny is the two chickens sometimes find the pieces of banana and eat them. Didn't know that chickens like that! And there's some Gulf Fritillaries around...awfully early for those!

Took this pic of the first one on 1-27-13. We have lantana blooming out by the curb. It about the only thing blooming in front and we're seeing lots of random butterflies circling the patch.

Beautiful picture, Sandi...and nice Monarch! I'd like to see some Monarchs, but would be able to provide more blooms a bit later on! Somebody said their Carolina Jessamine was blooming now. So I checked mine and it has buds, no blooms yet but soon!

I posted the wrong pic. This one is the same guy, just a little closer to him. Guess he was so hungry, he just ignored me. I'll have to look in the frig for some fruit I can put out. Will they eat strawberries mashed up? I don't have bananas...and I'm surely not going to the grocery store today! Yesterday was bad enough!!!

Lovely photos Sandi, taken on my BD I see.

Happy belated Birthday to you, Margaret! Wow! I think your eagle trumps my butterfly. What a photo!

Your title just caught my eye. Have any of you read this book, The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe. Very nice story about grandmother, mother and daughter with the Monarchs story to tie them all together. I just finished it.

Thanks Sandi. I took that photo from my back door, he was way across the back in a huge tree, good thing I have a camera with a 35 X zoom.

I want more plants for butterflies this year, I have quite a few already. The past 2 or 3 years I have not seen too many butterflies, the same with the hummingbirds, makes me very sad.

springcolor, I just checked our library and we do have that book! I'll try to get over there and pick it up. It states it's fiction, right?

The summer drought has melted a lot of the natives that the butterflies rely on here, Margaret. We didn't have much of a winter, so hopefully with a little rain, the salvias will peek out soon.

(power's back on in the Super Dome....game on!..maybe not)

That is sad, everything and everyone suffers during a drought.

I have not read the book springcolor.

Yes, fiction. I thought it a wonderful story.

I'll run by the library and pick the book up in the morning!

I don't think that Monarch are fruit feasters, Sandi. Red Admirals are, though. They can survive on ripe fruit and tree sap! And they also use flower nectar, of course.

We had a lot of those last year. Haven't seen any yet this year. No hummingbirds either. We usually have a few that stick round. I hope to get a little fertilizer out this week. It's going to be in the 70s all week.

Can you ID this one? He was one of two in the same lantana this afternoon. The back of the wings are iridescent blue.

I also had a Red Admiral in the backyard this morning that looked like he was on his "last flight"...... I placed him in the hoop house so the birds wouldn't get him.

I found the Admiral and gave him some strawberry mash. I think he may be too weak to care about food. The ends of the wings are really battered.

The black butterfly looks like a Pipevine Swallowtail. Pretty! Last year really was a big year for the Red Admiral! Mild winters with enough rain to encourage fresh nettles (host plants) is good. My nettles are just now putting out new growth, but last year it was looking good by this time. Some Red Admirals overwinter as adults in mild climates, so that butterfly could be getting a bit old...or maybe it just hasn't had enough food to recover yet. BTW, they prefer very overripe fruit. Maybe the strawberry isn't old enough to tempt it yet!