But enough about me, let's talk about the star of the show: Danaus plexippus a.k.a. the Monarch Butterfly.
Some say that this butterfly was named in honor of King William III of England, who claimed the throne following a growing threat of a revival of Catholicism at the hand of King James II. A devout Protestant, he quickly gained public support and later won the English, Scottish, and Irish crowns following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. King William III to this day is more commonly known as William of Orange, which seems to make "Monarch" a rather fitting name for one of the most popular of the butterfly species.
The Monarch season has yet to reach full swing but the first week of September was very promising with an average of 26.77 monarchs per hour! This is significantly higher than the average 14.02 monarchs/hr we saw this time last year, and it's only the beginning...
In the past few days Monarch numbers have slowed to a halt, so I've been out trimming butterfly bushes (Buddleja sp, see above) around the Point. Before our cross-country migrants wander into your garden, I strongly encourage you do go out and deadhead too! Besides being a reference to the Grateful Dead fanbase, deadheading refers to removing the flower heads that have died to make way for fresh growth and new flowers. When removing the dead flowers, take care to leave as much of the stem as possible so the plant can devote more energy in creating new flowers just in time for the migrating season.
For more info. on butterfly bushes and the art of deadheading check out these sites:
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm
http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/bgq/buddleia.htm
So grab a pair of clippers, a pail, and your green thumb and let's get deadheading!
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