This first week of Monarch season has been pretty successful! On Monday, I found another 4 eggs on the milkweed surrounding my house. There has been a female with a torn wing that has been hanging around these last few days. I think she has found a good spot as there are tons of nectar sources in my small yard, plus shelter and water, and, of course, plenty of blooming milkweed. She may not be able to fly well, but she'll be safe here.

Yesterday, I took a chance and went to a place in Hereford that seems to be magic for Monarchs. I was able to find 34 TINY larvae - all about 2 days old in in their 1st instar. They must have been laid all at the same time. Today, I walked over to Warren Elementary to a Monarch Way Station which Steve and I maintain. There I found 9 more larvae and another 4 eggs. 

So, with over 50 little beings on my kitchen island, I am off to a good start. These guys are all third generation, so the won't get tags, but I feel if I help boost the numbers, there will be even more of the 4th generation - the ones that make that epic migration.

My husband, Steve, sent me this picture while I was working a 12- hour shift in Pediatrics. Woohoo! The Monarchs are finally here! And whew! I was getting worried - they arrived much later this year. I can hardly wait to get out there looking for eggs and larvae. I missed my friends!

In the picture is a female on Swamp Milkweed. To the left is newly blooming Baby Joe Pye Weed. You know I couldn't contain myself. I rushed home, blew through my chores, and ran outside, in the fading daylight to see if she left me a p[resent. Sure enough, I found a tiny egg in the exact same spot! Hooray!

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Journey North. A similar statement was also put out by the Xerces Society. These reports were put out by Monarch researchers and they raise concerns about releasing large numbers of captive-reared Monarchs. The biggest concern is the potential for spreading disease when mass-breeding Monarchs. There is also a genetic (over-breeding) component. I completely agree!

As first when I read these statements, I felt terribly guilty. Especially now that I have raised over 1,000 Monarchs. But since then, I have put a little more thought into it. I did not obtain my Monarchs through mass-breeding. I simply took eggs and larvae that I found in the wild and brought them in to raise for safety. I was very, very luckily in my Monarch egg hunts this season. Also, I take meticulous care to maintain good Monarch hygiene. First, I have dozens (and dozens) of containers to prevent over-crowding. Second, the containers are cleaned once, and sometimes twice, a day to keep clean. I have been using a 10% bleach solution. With the new recommendations, I will increase that solution to 20%.

After several long days of waiting out the weather, the sun decided to shine and the temperature finally reached 60 degrees...hooray! Steve was on tagging duty today as I was at work. He released 35 today! Some had been waiting to go out since Thursday. Whew! I did a lot of worrying over these creatures. Steve reports that most of them took off right away, though, as you can see from this picture, there are a couple still hanging around. Tomorrow promises more sunshine and even warmer temperatures.

I had a little time to check out the Monarch migration reports on Journey North. I have really enjoyed reading the stories people relate as they record their observations. I think it is very cool that several state that they have seen an increase in Monarch numbers so far...woohoo! I can hardly wait for the winter observations. I am hoping to celebrate an increase in their numbers.

Off to take care of this last brood of growing larvae...

The weather these last few days has not been good for flying. It is has been rainy and much too cold to let my little friends go. Most have been waiting in a cool, dark box since Thursday. The darkness helps to keep them quiet and calm. Keeping them chilly helps to make them sleepy and slows down their metabolism so they conserve their energy for the long flight. Most of all, I just want to keep their stress level low. Come on sunshine...we need your warmth!

I had a very cool, kind of "full circle" moment the other day. It turns out that one of my little patients goes to Warren Elementary across the street, where Steve and I rebuilt the Butterfly Garden. This child had noticed the butterflies with the tags on them and had actually talked to his parents about it. Somehow, circumstances evolve and sometime later, this very child becomes my patient. It is amazing how small this world can be and how interconnected we all are. To think that I had touched his life in some small way without even knowing it just amazes me! I cannot wait until he feels better and can stop by on his way home from school to tag and release butterflies with me!

As I packed up some of my butterfly raising gear today (I still have larvae!), I was thinking of all the incredible experiences that I have had this Monarch season. I have been so blessed to have met such great people and to have had so much success. It has been a ton of work and sacrifice, but man, I am so grateful to have found this wonderful, simple purpose in helping Monarchs. I never could have guessed that helping these beautiful creatures would have made my like so rich!

I found several of these bugs late Sunday night, as I was cleaning up the Monarch larvae. I found 2 literally ON the larvae and 2 on chrysalides. My husband, Steve, and I have killed more than a dozen in the house since. They are small (3-4 mm), black, flying insects.

I reached out to my pollinator friends. Glen Schultz correctly guessed that it was a Pteromalus wasp and she suggested I reach out to Mike Raupp, Professor of Entomology at University of Maryland. Mike confirmed that indeed, this tiny wasp, is a parasite. These wasps are considered beneficial insects. But, they inject their eggs into larvae and, possibly, chrysalides. They don't even need to mate to do this. Holy cow!!!

So, how did they get into my dining room? I had a couple of the containers with me for show and tell at the Marshy Point Fall Festival. They were outside all day. Perhaps they got in then? Otherwise, I'm stumped.

For now, I remain hyper-vigilant, killing every wasp I see. I have separated larvae with "strike" spots (presumably where the wasp injected them). I am keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers going that I may have only lost a few maybe, instead of the whole lot. I would sure hate to see the season go down and end "in flames".

...outside before night falls in. The angle of the sun has really changed and the Monarchs are emerging later in the day now, even though I am trying to leave my dining room light on. I felt the need to get these guys outside as Monday brings a 12-hour shift for me and no one will be home to release them tomorrow.

I had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday, I had the chance to educate, tag, and release Monarchs at the Marshy Point Fall Festival. It was so much fun! The wedding was last evening. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a fail. 2 quickly flew away, while the others decided to hang out in the hat box. It was chilly and overcast...I guess you cannot fight Mother Nature 😬. Oh how I had hoped they have been more spectacular! Today, the sun came out for awhile and we were able to tag and release up at beautiful Mingodale Farm. I had the chance to chat about Monarchs with some mighty fine people. Natalie and Sara (mentioned in earlier blogs) have been so incredibly supportive of my efforts - they ROCK!

I am getting ever closer to the 1,000 Monarch Mark. As of today, 939 healthy Monarchs have been released since August 12th. Sheesh...

...even if it is the first day of fall, the days are getting shorter, and Monarch season is almost over. I started the day with breakfast with my very best of friends (❤️ you, Mare). Then, I went out to Mingodale Farm to launch the butterflies that emerged yesterday with John on this gorgeous day! I meandered the fields and found a few larvae, but the numbers have decreased greatly. I saved those I could - John was mowing the last of his fields this afternoon. I was sad, but I took heart in all that I kept safe these past weeks and that there was not too much Monarch activity anymore. I saw one empty chrysalis on a tall blade of grass. About 6 inches away, a female Monarch was waiting for her wings to dry in the sun. Oh how I wish I had my camera!!! When I came home, several more butterflies had emerged. While I waited for their wings to set, I had the chance to hike with my loves - Steve and Piper. It's been weeks! I needed that! When we got home, I tagged and released today's butterflies, bringing my total to 885 😳!

So now, I wait and worry that I am not going to have enough butterflies emerge in time for the wedding on Saturday. My fingers are crossed! Come on, Monarchs! Also, I am rooting to cross the one thousand mark. It's going to be close, but wouldn't that be cool?

...today from the Monarch Way Station in front of Padonia International School today. I was there to teach a teacher and the school nurse how to tag. Their garden, put in by the Girl Scouts, is just beautiful now. The New England Aster is in all its glory and the Goldenrod is just starting to pop! It was cool to see the chrysalides lined up on the brick across the top of the school. Neat!

So, now that I am this close, I have to go for thousand. Just a few more weeks of work to go. What do you think?