Definitely one handsome guy! Another good day for flying. I had the chance to launch butterflies with some of my patients today. I hope the Monarchs brightened their day in some small way! At the very least, it got them outside in the fresh air for a few minutes.

Steve tagged and released 70 butterflies here at home...sheesh! He's my hero! He said it took him about 2 hours. This looks to be the last of the big waves of Monarchs for us this season. Oh, they are still coming, just not in such large numbers, all at once. The time consuming, daily care of the larvae has decreased greatly as there are not as many.

As of today, 795 Monarchs have been tagged and released. Woohoo!!!

...and today, I broke 700. Sheesh! Who would have guessed it would be that many? Scary thing is, there is still a mess of larvae to go! I am still looking at about one more month to go.

I had the opportunity to teach, tag, and release with the 4th graders today. It was really fun! I also have an opportunity to have a butterfly release during a wedding ceremony next weekend. I think I have figured out several good ways to keep the butterflies safe and calm, so I am excited and honored to have this chance next week!

Today, we went beyond the 600 mark...holy cow! And they are still going to emerge for weeks to come!

One of the greatest aspects of this whole endeavor, had been all the folks who have become actively involved in this experience as well. My in-box and Facebook page are just covered with pictures of Monarchs! I have received letters and encouragement from New York to Oklahoma!

Friends have gotten their families involved in raising Monarchs. I even had friends, the Salikof's, come today for their fourth round of larvae! I love seeing the joy on their faces and hearing about their success. My heart is soaring...just like the Monarchs making their way to Mexico!

Today, we released the 500th healthy, adult Monarch! I reached and surpassed my goal! To date, 563 Monarchs have been tagged and successful launched! Farmer John, owner of Mingodale Farm, had the honor of releasing #500...a beautiful female (in John's hand). John has been incredibly kind, allowing me to wander his fields in search of Monarch eggs and larvae, and to pick bags of milkweed to feed all the livestock. Did I mention his produce and eggs are incredible?

I also need to thank two wonderful ladies, without whose support, achieving this goal would have been impossible. Natalie Hamilton's and Sara Yousa's help has been invaluable. Natalie found some magical paradises where Monachs just thrive! She also has done an awesome job marketing my efforts to help the Monarchs. Sara's kindness and assistance helped make this impossible goal possible. Plus, her photography skills are amazing.

And, special thanks to my love, Steve. He has put up with all this Monarch nonsense! He has also taken on extra chores and been wonderfully supportive of my endeavor. Steve ROCKS!

But I am not done yet! I have a least a dozen containers of Monarchs in chrysalis and there are several more containers of larvae: munching milkweed and awaiting their wings.

I have had the time of my life, meeting people, educating about Monarchs, and watching the joy on their faces as they launch them into the sky! This has been so much fun!

...laying eggs. The third generation is dying out, passing the baton on to the fourth generation to make the arduous journey to Mexico.

I turned over many a milkweed leaf today and did not find a single Monarch egg. I did find about two dozen larvae, at various stages (sizes). Although I am sad to season start to end, I am a bit happy to finally see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It has been a lot of work and extremely time consuming attempting to reach my goal of 500. I will be glad to get my life (and my dining room!) back! I crossed the 450 mark today. I should reach 500 by the weekend. Whew! But I still have some eggs that I found Saturday, so I still have about a month more of cleaning up frass and keeping the milkweed supply going.

As I was cleaning containers, I came across this one going through its instar. For those that don't know, a Monarch larva will shed its skin (and eat it...gross) 5 times while in larval form. You can see the one at the top right has already shed its skin (the black blob at its tail end).. The one on the lower left is going through the process - you can see the old skin about halfway down its body.

I will continue to update my progress as I approach my goal and beyond. Oh! And I got asked to tag and release Monarchs with 4th grades at Warren Elementary...I am so excited!

These girls hung around for a bit today, while I was tagging, before they took off. There have been so many Monarchs in the garden all afternoon, and they are not all mine. While I am still finding a couple eggs on the milkweed, there doesn't appear to be as many as there were in the last few weeks. I am guessing it's getting late: the third generation is dying out. Any eggs laid now will take 28 days to complete metamorphosis. Though it is still quite warm, the cool, fall weather will be coming soon.

35 were tagged and released today, bringing me up to a total of 419. I might break my goal of 500 by the end of the week! There are still dozens and dozens of larvae, munching away milkweed on my dining room table...I wonder just how many I will end the season with. Any guesses?

...yes, 95 Monarchs released today! And that's not counting the three that got away without tags! It was a beautiful day for flying!

So, I found this magical place where I go for milkweed and to look for Monarch eggs and larvae. It is like heaven for the Monarchs! It is in Sparks and it is called Mingodale Farm. John, the farmer, has wonderful produce and he graciously allows me out to hunt Monarchs at least twice a week. Today, I wanted to give back. If Monarchs are in fact "geocoded", then I certainly want them to return to his beautiful farm next year.

Today, I, along with my fellow gardeners Natalie and Sara, met to stage a tag and release of Monarchs with John and his customers. It was a HUGE success! We released over 40 at the farm.

I had an incredible moment today that gave me chills. One of John's customers came over to tag and launch a few Monarchs. She explained that she had had several people close to her pass away. She remarked that, afterwards, she always saw a butterfly. I described to her and the group gathered that, in Mexico, they celebrate the Day of the Dead (October 31st - November 2nd) which happens to coincide with when the Monarchs arrive for their winter diapause. The locals in Mexico believe the Monarchs contain the souls of their loved ones, who are making a brief, return visit. Oh, the look on her face when I said that! What an amazing conversation!

Then, I came home. A ton of Monarchs emerged here at the house today. I tagged and released them this beautiful afternoon from my back patio. Sheer bliss!

So, as of today, 384 healthy, adult Monarchs tagged and released - not including the ones that got away, the ones I have given to friends to raise, and the ones I released before the fall migration.

I think I am going to reach that unbelievable 500 mark...it's fantastic!

Whew! Today, we are going beyond the halfway point, with over 275 healthy, adult Monarchs tagged and released this season! Today, should also be a personal record for me, with over 30 emerging this morning. There are still more coming! Sheesh...that's a lot of butterflies to tag!

I have been running myself ragged, working extra hours at work, taking care of all these little Monarch beings, and, not to mention, looking out for my loves: Steve, Jon, Piper, and Annie. My house needs a cleaning, the garden needs weeding, but it can wait, I suppose. I took a few moments this morning to watch and be astonished at one of nature's spectacles. Watching the Monarchs emerge continues to amaze me! I cannot wait to let them go today!

I have several friends that are also raising Monarchs now. People I hardly know are sending me e-mails and pictures. I love their stories! I love that they also feel the joy and the satisfaction that comes with raising Monarchs!

I was on pins and needles all morning! I had a chrysalis that had fallen down. I had read that a Monarch can emerge with success horizontally, if they had some way to climb up and hang inverted (to pump out and dry their wings). So, I had placed a stick in the container to help this Monarch achieve just that. I waited and watched, but had to leave for work...ugh! Worried, I had left a note for Steve to be on the lookout. A few hours later, he sent me this picture showing me that my plan was effective. Whew! Instinct is amazing!

Another successful launch today! I had the chance to educate some fine folks about Monarchs. Then, we tagged and released about 32 Monarchs, bringing the total so far this season to 211...yay!!! And whew...only 300 more to achieve my goal of 500. I have the determination - I just need my will and my milkweed supply to hold on!

I have 11 "quiet" boxes now, where all the Monarchs are in chrysalis. I need more boxes to house all the larvae...those butterflies need to hurry up!

Steve, as always, is wonderful! We spent a good portion of this beautiful day collecting eggs and re-stocking my milkweed supply. He is so supportive of my efforts...I am so blessed! ❤️ him!