Published: 06/07/2022

Migrating Monarchs

Monarchs are approaching the northern limits of their breeding range. In last week’s update, there were no reports of monarchs in Manitoba. This week, monarchs have made good progress are being spotted in Winnipeg and surrounding areas (latitude 50°N). Farther east, activity continues to pick up in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, but no reports yet from Prince Edward Island.

Bruce Thacker in Thunder Bay, ON: Reported by Don Davis: "Bruce Thacker photographed one Monarch feeding on Bergenia - a garden plant - on May 31, 2022 in Thunder Bay, Ontario." 

Laura in Sackville, NB: "Seen nectaring on a few plants in the garden, and also stopping at several stalks of milkweed. Much earlier than I've usually seen them!" (06/02/2022)

Cindy in Springfield, MB: "I saw one adult monarch flying through our yard." (06/03/2022)

Ian in Winnipeg, MB: "First visitor dropped by today . . . She has been in the wars in her travels - lost some wing scales, with a few chips removed from the lower edges." (06/04/2022)

Eggs and Larvae

New England remains a hotspot of activity for adult monarchs, and now reports of eggs and larvae are on the rise as well. Remember that monarch caterpillars go through five stages of growth. Each stage is called an "instar." What is an instar? Take a look at this resource.

Gretchen in Boston, MA: "Working in a rain garden with a lot of Asclepias incarnata. A monarch butterfly was present for about an hour. I knew she was laying eggs. I was trying to keep track of where she’d land, but she visited so many plants and multiple stems. I could only find 15 eggs, but I bet there are more! (06/03/2022)

Sherry in Winchester, MA: "Looks to be 2nd instar. Found nibble spots on 2 other leaves of same plant [milkweed]." (06/07/2022)