Six years into wingedbeauty.com, and we have seen burgeoning interest in Monarch butterflies. More and more us of fret over why we find fewer of them in the east most one-third of the United States.
We read most recently that the populations of Monarch butterflies in those central Mexico conifer forests are seriously down again. I hope that those reports are incorrect, but find myself concerned that another summer and fall will produce fewer Monarch sightings here in western Pennsylvania.
In 2016 I spotted very few in and around Pittsburgh. Happily, I photographed this male in the Butterflies & Blooms Briar Patch Habitat in Eatonton, Georgia. There were many Monarchs flying there when I visited in August and again when I returned there in September., Virginia Linch verified that central Georgia enjoyed good Monarch numbers last year.
With 2017 upon us . . . What do you Predict? How numerous do you expect Monarchs to be in your state, your county, and in your own garden?
Jeff
Winged Beauty Butterflies 
this lovely male, captured so brilliantly with your lens. waiting and watching and cruising the monarchs singles bar comprised of a variety of milkweed as his predecessors have done for centuries. waiting for the females, who are driven to find these patches of “weeds” necessary for the reproduction of their winged tribe. your question is valid and your clarion call for gardeners and butterfly lovers to step up and nurture the fewer numbers struggling to survive is critical. thank you for your lifetime of support and appreciation of what so many of us have only realized. We must revive what we have destroyed
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Bravo for this capture, Jeff – what a gem! The perfect opening to my Sunday. :-)
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