November is the month that the Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico, and I have been anticipating their arrival this year since we have more flowers this year than in past years. I saw my first Monarch of the year several days ago. Yesterday there were quite a few of them here feeding on our marigolds and mealy sage. I got several nice photos of them with their wings closed, but wasn’t able to capture one with their wings spread. They are very skittish. With some luck I will have more opportunities to get the full dorsal shots I am after.
Monarch on Marigold
Monarch on Mealy Sage
I planted a combination of marigolds, Persian Carpet zinnias, and nasturtiums in a planter box for some fall color. The nasturtiums have not begun to bloom yet, but I do like the marigold and zinnia combination.
Marigolds and Zinnias
The lemon yellow color of the echinacea ‘Sunrise’ and the coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ that I purchased from High Country Gardens [1] was exactly what I wanted to add to the courtyard. I wasn’t expecting them to bloom this fall, since I just planted them in late September, so I was really excited when they set blooms.
Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’
Echinacea ‘Sunrise’
Hope your fall is going well.
5 Comments To "Monarch Migration"
#1 Comment By tina On November 2, 2008 @ 12:58 pm
They are really hard to capture, but you did an excellent job.
#2 Comment By Helen – patientgardener On November 2, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
How nice to have the Monarch butterflies to look forward to
#3 Comment By Carol On November 2, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Hi Tina, thanks for the compliment.
Hey Helen, I do love the Monarchs, and we are lucky to be in the migration path. Several years ago, when we first moved to the country, my neighbor called me to let me know that the Monarchs were migrating through our area. I went outside to see, and there were literally hundreds of them filling the sky. I had never seen anything like it.
#4 Comment By Sunita On November 2, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
Lovely photos!
I’m amazed by the resemblance between your Monarchs and my Striped Tigers. Take a look : [4]
#5 Comment By Carol On November 3, 2008 @ 9:57 am
Hi Sunita, you are right about the resemblance between our Monarchs and your Striped Tigers. That is amazing. Thanks for the link to your post. I really enjoyed your photos and your descriptions.