The Monarchs are Back.

8-20-17 VERMONT: Monarch butterflies have returned to the pasture. There are at least three—two are male and the third is probably a female. I saw three together at one point, but it’s hard to count them because their flight is random, and they seem to disappear sometimes when on a flower. They are feeding on golden rod and mint flowers. The males have a small black lump on the hind wings that is thought to produce pheromones. There are plenty of milkweed plants busy producing their seed pods that could host monarch caterpillars.

We were at the Cornish, NH Fair yesterday with Shari and Dave. We had good Fair food, saw the tree chopping contest, watched ox pulling, saw cows and miniature horses and heard a little country music.

We have had a few rainstorms that delivered 1.75 inches over the last week. That was enough rain to partly fill the culvert with sand and gravel. I shoveled it out today, about twelve wheelbarrow loads that I used to fill holes in the pasture and driveway.

New blooms: Joe Pye weed, tree hydrangea, more asters.


Monarch butterflies feeding on mint and goldenrod flowers. This is a male, there is a swelling on the second black line counting up from the lower edge of the back wing. That swelling marks the male Monarch and may be the source of male pheromones.

Probably another male on mint flowers. I'm pretty sure the third butterfly is a female.

Cornish, NH Fair midway.

That falling 'tree' is supposed to crush the soda can standing in the shadow of the tree-just missed.

Ox pulling. All the teams had an easy time with this beginning weight.

Oxen and handlers watching the competition, except for the team facing the other way.