OUR FIRST MONARCH!!!!

Long Live the Queen! Or King!

While we were away in Fire Island, NY the past few days (where there was terrific butterfly viewing, including a couple new ones, but more on that another time!), the Smith-Boeth Monarch Waystation received its first Monarch visits, as reported by Gretchen Johnson and Katie Meeks (who took all the pix with this post). Even though we feel like parents who missed seeing their child's first steps, we are just so thrilled to finally have them here in the Assembly. All the other butterflies have been great to have, and we love every one, but we would privately say to ourselves, we just cannot wait for the first visit by the queen herself, Danaus plexippus. They seemed to like the Joe-Pye weed best. Now how about laying a few eggs on one of the four fine varieties of Milkweed we have for you all? So exciting!

The Monarch was not alone.  We also had swallowtails dancing or who knows what and a little pearl crescent too! Nice work, Katie!

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