Just found two eggs on my Hello Yellow tuberosa :) Hope she comes back soon...

John

Aw, congrats!! :)

You are kidding! I am thrilled beyond words! I never thought they would make it this far north this year. I'm so glad I planted extra A. Curassavica to have as food for cats. Though, I never thought I'd really get any this year. I need to check the Journey North map to see if they are in Michigan anywhere.

Martha

That's fantastic! I'm sure she'll return to lay more eggs!

Sherry

Congrats! It is so exciting seeing that first egg laying female Monarch.

I think this is going to be a good year. I have been following the Journey North maps.

So far I've collected 45 eggs and 32 first instars. Not easy work bending over plants. BTW, I have seen a lot of eggs laid on the top of the leaves and on those tender top leaves. I found most of the larvae in those tender leaves at the top of the plant.

Wow!! That is wonderful news. I hear the bees are doing better as well :)
I found these eggs near or at the top of the plants as well...

John

16 eggs in Minneapolis on May 25 all laid on the tiniest common milkweed! I saw my first monarch the day before.

I have also seen 2 eastern swallowtails. I typically don't see those until July!

Tony

Awesome!! I saw my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail yesterday.

John

Congrats, John. Let us know what other ones you see. I really don't know what kind of butterflies your area gets.

And if possible remind us where in Wisconsin you live.

Tom

Central Florida

Hi Tom
I live in Madison, in the southern part of the state. At present, I have Red Admiral, American Ladies and Eastern Black Swallowtail larvae, as well as 3 Monarchs in the egg stage.
In the past I have seen up to 23 species of butterflies, including Buckeyes, Painted Ladies, Giant Swallowtails (rare up here), Horace's Dusky Wing, Silver Spotted Skippers, Pearl Crescents, Monarchs, Tiger and Black Swallowtails, hundreds of Grass Skippers (Fiery?), the inevitable Cabbage Whites, Sulfurs and many more.
I have also been frequented by hummers and hummer moths (Hummingbird Clearwing and White Lined Sphinx).
My absolute bucket list Leps are Luna Moths and Baltimores.
All in all, I still miss the population in Florida, especially the Zebra Longwings and Atalas (once thought extinct!) Lazarus Taxis!!
Seasons get a late start here, and I can usually expect about 4 mos of good butterfly conditions. It gets frustrating, and by Feb. I'm ready to move South again!!

John

Second Monarch sighting today, around a half an hour ago...
No eggs found but I'm hoping for a return trip :)

John

On an earlier post you said you saw an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Did you mean an Eastern Black Swallowtail, John?

I remember Madison as being clean and pretty. There is a couple who lives near there who post almost daily on the hummingbird forum. They are seeing quite a few hummers now, but they reported a brutal winter. I'm sure that spring must be very special to you now.

It was an Eastern Tiger for sure, Tom :)
I like Madison for its eco-conscienceness. People here are really green minded (some more than others). I've only encountered-and confronted-one litter bug since I've lived up here.
Winter here was brutal last year and I thought Spring would NEVER get here!!
I have not seen any Hummers in my garden yet, but I've seen some at my brother's house and at my friend Arlys' house.
My Salvias are just budding up and they always get attention from Hummers.
Summer's here and I couldn't be more pleased. Butterfly sightings are getting more numerous and larval counts are pretty darn decent right now, though I wish I had more Monarch eggs (greedy me!).

John

Your buddy was back today, Tom...
A beautiful Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Lilac :-D Oh for a camera!
Totally makes my day, along with the American Lady ELF all over the property. I'll go to work with a smile on my face for sure...

John

I think we only get the one type of Tiger Swallowtail here in Florida. Is it the same as in Madison Wisconsin? We often get the black variation, which is impressive to the eye.

Getting a lot of Eastern Black Swallowtail cats and eggs now. Also, many Monarchs cats. I typically can't find the cats of the Zebra Longwings, but they must be around since there are so many of these butterflies around.

I saw at least two yellow Tiger Swallowtails today. They were either courting or fighting, because they kept swirling around one another high up in and out of the branches of tall oaks. I assume they lay most of their eggs high in the trees, so I wouldn't have much chance of finding them, right? Oh, they were so beautiful in the sunshine, dancing in and out of the shadows of fresh leaves. Summer feels wonderful.

Martha

Yes, Tom
The Tiger Swallowtails are of the same species in both states. You'll often see more dark forms in the South because the female seeks to mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail, which is distasteful to birds.

John

Martha, I don't know if your tigers were fighting or getting ready to mate. It's difficult to tell with a lot of species--including us...

I do think that they tend to lay their eggs high up in the trees. I have a large Sweet Bay Magnolia that I planted specifically for tigers. The first few years I would see some tiger cats on the branches--they were, of course, lower to the ground. I haven't seen a tiger cat in a number of years, even though I will see tigers every three days or so. I assume they are laying their eggs high up in the tree now.