how sad for you! I'm a couple of zones warmer here in MA, but, oddly, just today I was remarking how many butterflies we have. Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Great Spangled Fritilary, and some others I don't know.

And it's a great year for dragon- and damselflies of all colors!! I love the large black ones with the big black spots on all four wings, really stunning.

And I watched a bat last night at dusk, wheeling thru the sky over my gardens... Need to check out fireflies one of these nights, too. They are so neat!

Hope you are just late with your butterflies this year and that they will show up soon. =)

It's weird, we have firefly's and lots of bees, and mosquito's. But when I think on it, not much for other insects. I live in the country with farm fields all around. 3 sides, and forest on the 4th side.

I wonder if they have been spraying for insects? They do every year, but you never know how it's going to affect things, which is why my 13 acres is pesticide free.

Everything is strange from area to area. No mosquitoes here, but lots of bees. Quite a few butterflies - Tiger Swallow Tails, Monarchs, Spotted Skippers, Red Admirals, a few of the common Cabbage Whites, and a couple I haven't identified yet. I haven't seen a Sphinx Moth so far.

The dragon flies came in huge squadrons, just about on their usual day - like the swallows returning to Capistrano. They come from the direction of Lake Superior, whirl around the yard then seem to head up north to all the lakes, ponds, and bogs. Some of them are really jewel-like, iridescent red, green, blue, black. The ones Roxanna mentioned with the black & white spotted (or banded) wings are something special. When they light, you get a good picture of the wings - a patterned blur in flight - like helicopters with alternating colored rotor blades.

No hummingbirds so far. They usually show up when the true tiger lilies start to bloom.

Been such a odd spring - didn't get warm until the first of July with a fair amount of rain and fog. The lilacs just finished and the peonies are starting.

There was a story in the local news about the lack of Monarchs this year. I guess the cold spring did a number on them as they were migrating back North from Mexico. Usually the milkweeds in the South are developed enough to provide food for the caterpillars, but because of the usual cold spring, there weren't any milkweeds and an entire generation of the butterflies were never born. Hence, no Monarchs in the North right now.

Funny you mentioned Dragonflies. Living in the city, I rarely see them, but the last couple of days I've been seeing them all over the garden. In fact, today one kept following me and dive bombing the hose I was using to water the garden. I guess he liked the water and Lord was he determined.

Kevin

This year, we've noticed that there are not many honey bees in the yard. We always take notice of the honey bees when working outside because we hear so much about colony colapse disorder. But there seem to be larger numbers of the very large bumble bees and the smaller fuzzy ones that look like dwarf bumble bees. Yesterday, I saw my first hummingbird moth on some purple monarda.

Two of my butterfly bushes are in bloom, and two were cut back this spring so there are no flowers on those as yet. We have been commenting on how there are so many less butterflies this year. I think I saw my first Monarch a couple of weeks ago.

There were hummingbirds here early this year. The picture window at the front of the house has a large variegated weigela next to it, and I looked up one afternoon to see a hummingbird staring at me through the window when the weigela was in bloom! They love the red tubular flowers when that bush is in full bloom. It will now bloom off and on the rest of the summer so I will see bees and hummers on it from time to time.

I'm hoping that as the summer wears on, we will see increased numbers of bees and butterflies.

Linda

I am seeing the usual amount of butterflies of various species in my yard so far this year. This includes some of the earlybirds like Comma, Question marks, and Mourning cloak, swallowtails, sulphurs, great spangled fritillaries, assorted skippers, spring azure, etc. I haven't seen large quantities but a few of each species, which is usual.

I released 6 Black Swallowtails that over-wintered as chrysalises, have already raised and released 3 other Black swallowtails, and have 11 caterpillars inside right now.

The Monarchs have not shown up yet however. They are my favorites. Monarchs are in a lot of trouble, their numbers are way down, and the drought in the middle part of North America is a factor I think.

I hope to see some soon - they can show up here in my garden in eastern Massachusetts between June and August, so I'm not panicking yet.

I havenv't seen a tremendous number of buuterflies, but I have seen them. Normally, I tend to see the most next month. Lots of bees though, which is good.

roxanna, is this the dragonfly you meant? Because I've been seeing them all over my garden this year.

{{gwi:253996}}

He looks like he's waving 4 little flags!

Came home from a family cookout this afternoon and as I pulled into the driveway I spotted a swallowtail on my daylilies growing nearby along with a purple finch drinking from the birdbath. Couple days ago I spotted the hummingbird on the hosta flowers. Maybe these extreme wet conditions are impacting the critters habits.

Man I am envious of you all spotting so many. I have really been watching this year and have only seen two different kinds, a Canadian swallowtail and some little brown one. I am tucked in the bush so don't expect much.

Terrene love your efforts. My goal was to try and catch a butterfly caterpillar to raise with my girls this year. Unfortunately I thought of this a little late and didn't plant specifically for this.

I thought a saw a butterfly yesterday, but my hands were full and it flew off before I got close. It hasn't been wet here, actually I would say the moisture level has been just about perfect this year! Not to much, and not to dry.......so far

I've seen a few Monarchs here, but not as many as in past years. One of my butterfly bushes has not bloomed yet, which I would have expected, but the Monarchs were all over the Echinaceas.

a2zmom, that looks like mine! isn't it gorgeous?!!