I was very happy to see the Monarch Butterflies on our last visit. They seemed to like these orange flowers particularly. They are Mexican Sunflowers and I will have more information about them in another post. This time I am concentrating on the butterflies. 
I haven't had any luck taking photos of butterflies this past summer. I haven't seen many at all, whether this was because of bad timing I'm not sure. I know they are another that has been put on the endangered list, and that is troubling. 
The following information came from this website. I read: "Each Fall millions of monarch butterflies migrate to overwintering sites in Mexico and to a scattering of locations along the coast of California. In the spring monarchs return to breeding areas and the cycle begins again: a two-way migration that is one of the most spectacular on the planet. Yet, this migration appears to be declining. Some theories include:
Loss of milkweed needed for monarch caterpillars to grow and develop, due to habitat conversion and adverse land management.
Drought conditions in California and other areas in the western U.S., resulting in lower milkweed biomass, and reduced availability of milkweed late in the summer.
Insecticide and herbicide use to control insects and weeds, with unintended consequences for monarchs.
Overwintering habitat loss and degradation in California, due to development within and adjacent to overwintering groves, and decay of overwintering trees as they age.
Habitat loss in overwintering sites in Mexico due to illegal logging.”
There are suggestions on how we can help.
"The monarch migration occurs twice every year. Nectar from flowers provides the fuel monarchs need to fly. If there are not any blooming plants to collect nectar from when the monarchs stop, they will not have any energy to continue. Planting monarch flowers that bloom when they will be passing will help the monarchs reach their destination. Creating more monarch habitat will help work to reverse their decline."
Plant milkweed! Monarch caterpillars need milkweed to grow and develop. There are 100 milkweed species that are native to North America, many of which are used by monarchs. To learn which species to plant in your region, and how to plant them, visit Bring Back the Monarchs Campaign (click on their name will take you to their website.
Plant butterfly nectar plants! Monarchs need nectar to provide energy as they breed, for their migratory journey, and to build reserves for the long winter. Include butterfly plants in your garden and avoid using pesticides.
If you click on this link you will be able to download the free Monarch Plant List in PDF format.
From this link I read:
The adult monarch butterfly typically only lives for a few weeks, unless it is lucky enough to be the last generation born in late August. The last generation is the migratory generation and can delay reproduction to live 8-9 months. They migrate south to warmer weather, because monarchs cannot survive Midwest winters. These migratory monarchs must make the journey to their overwintering grounds in central Mexico. For Nebraska monarchs, that means a 1,500 mile one-way trip; but for some Canadian monarchs, it can be over 3,000 miles!" The information on this website is from The Nebraska Games and Parks, on which you can read a lot more information.
The explanation/photos on the difference between the male and female monarch, came from this website.
In the next photo you will see the orange-red and black insect which is a milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus. It feeds on the seeds, leaves and stems of milkweed (Asclepias). It is found in small groups on milkweed often on the stems, leaves and on the seed pods. The bodies of milkweed bugs contain toxic compounds derived from the sap which they suck from milkweed. Milkweed bugs are true bugs (Hemiptera). Milkweed bugs are more of a nuisance than a threat to milkweed plants. They feed on the seeds by piercing the seed pod and can be found in all stages of growth on the plants in mid to late summer.
In the above photo we found these milkweed plants at the garden. There is a great link here explaining all about the milkweed. 
In the photo above you can see several milkweed plants. These were taken at another time when visiting Big Meadows on Skyline Drive.
In the above photo we found these milkweed plants at the garden. There is a great link here explaining all about the milkweed. 
In the photo above you can see several milkweed plants. These were taken at another time when visiting Big Meadows on Skyline Drive.
Lastly but most definitely not least, I remember seeing one of Debbie's posts from 'It's All About Purple.' She was giving Monarchs a safe haven, allowing them to go through their life stages until they could be released. You can see her post here. You can do a search on Monarchs at her blog. She has taken the most beautiful photos of them.
There will be more photos from Green Spring Gardens in a future post. I am spacing them out a bit, so as not to overload on photos.
