(A-26) MONARCH WAYSTATION # 613- MONARCH OBSERVATIONS WAY DOWN IN NW OHIO FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR

Monday May 31, 2010

Spent the day planting Foxglove, Millet grass, and 9 Butterfly Weed plants. Still haven't seen a Monarch butterfly yet this year! However, I've collected eggs from a site I monitor for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) and have collected 19 eggs since mid-May. Still, no monarch eggs laid as yet in 50 Swamp and Common Milkweed plants in my yard. My notes from last year recorded plenty of eggs from my Waystation (yard) and the Milkweed patches I check around Fremont, Ohio, here in NW Ohio.

Goldfinch galore come to the thistle feeder hung amonst climbing Wisteria

Saw no Monarch so far this year. Checked Wolf Creek site and checked 40 Common MW plants- 1 cat ¾ inches but it dropped to ground off leaf, 0 eggs; accidentally crushed one 1” cat; tally- 0 eggs, 3 hatchlings and 9 cats; checked Depot Grill Common MW site, inspected 20 MW’s and 0 eggs and 0 cats. Bought 9 Butterfly Weed!!!
Eggs= 0
Hatchlings= 2
Cats= 9
Release Potential= 9

Beebalm patch in side yard

Patch of Foxgloves in front tree lawn

Millet grass to plant around water garden


10 Butterfly Weed plants to plant for Monarchs

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Hiked through Wolf Creek Park in Sandusky Co., Ohio. Saw two Monarch butterflies in good condition in the Wolf Creek meadow, gorging on the nectar plants. New England Astor, Golden Rod, Primrose, Queen Anne's Lace, purple colored Thistle, Wild Grape vines, Common Milkweed, Sumac, Yarrow and Ironweed dominated the flora. The Monarch seemed to enjoy the Thistle best (left photo).

Silver spotted Skippers (below right), Cabbage (below middle), and Yellow sulphur (below left) butterflies were prevelant in the meadow as well.

I'm hoping to see more Monarchs migrate through the Wolf Creek Park meadow on their southern journey to Mexico. Collected a dozen Swamp Milkweed seed pods off the Waystation No. 613 plants and put them in ziplock sandwich bags. Will mail them out to those asking for them (See Saturday September 5 notes below). Plan to visit the Wolf Creek Park meadow at the same time to determine the upswing of Monarchs migrating through. Not real scientific, but better than haphazard watching.

Saturday September 5, 2009
I saw a total of only 25 Monarchs in my yard this year. I carted my last 33 chrysalis' down to Columbus, Ohio to visit a friend. I left them there, figuring they'd have 110 miles less to fly to Mexico. I'm offering my overabundance of Swamp Milkweed seeds to those who want it. So far, I'll be mailing Swamp MW packets to two people:

(1) Ina Warren of North Carolina- "I always enjoy reading about your waystation activities...
You shared seed with me last year, and I in turn shared it at the dozen or so formal programs I gave to environmental/stewardship groups. I would love any/all of the seed that you don't otherwise need and am glad to swap it with some of the A. exaltata that I have (Poke Milkweed).
Also glad to pay postage on your mailing it to me. Thanks for your kindness and willingness to share this "gift of life" for the monarchs..."
Blessings,
Ina Warren.

(2) Cindy Schmid of Journey North- "Hi Robert, I would love some swamp milkweed seeds for my Waystation 95 in Grant, Minnesota. I have over an acre of land to plant it on!
Thanks!
Cindy@Journey North
http://www.learner.org/jnorth

I'm always glad to help out because these individuals will put the seeds to good use teaching to wonders of Monarchs to others! Here's some Swamp MW from my side yard (below photo). Well, back to the yard. I've got Swamp MW seeds to collect and MW plants to trim down.

Fremonters help rescue Monarch butterfly from extinction
I walked into Fremont City Hall in Fremont, Ohio and talked to Ken Myers, the Safety Service Director. Mr. Myers listened intently as I expressed my concern about the city’s mowing of an area that is beneficial for Monarch butterflies. Thinking of all the city problems that he, Mayor Overmyer, and the city council face, I didn’t think he would be interested in preserving a section of Fremont for Monarch butterflies. I was wrong.

Ken Myers remembered, as a youngster, the vast numbers of Monarchs which passed through Ohio every year. Now, these fragile butterflies, which migrate over 2,800 miles to Mexico each fall, are endangered by roadside mowing and spraying, genetically modified crops, and urban sprawl. I described the place to Mr. Myers, a meadow south of the east end of Hayes Street bridge, just past the Sandusky River embankment. It frustrated me because hundreds of Monarch eggs and caterpillars are destroyed each time the city mows there. Several hundred milkweed plants grow in the area and the females lay their eggs upon it because it’s the only plant the caterpillars feed upon.

Mr. Myers met me at the site with the supervisors of the Fremont Parks and Street Departments. The 8,000 sq. foot area had been mowed, but new milkweed shoots were sprouting. As if on cue, a beautiful orange and black female Monarch butterfly appeared and glided to a milkweed shoot in front of us. She gently deposited one of her 300 eggs underneath a leaf and then floated in the breeze to the next one. While we looked on, she visited dozens of Milkweeds. Ken Myers and the supervisors were apparently impressed! They agreed that the area was not to be mowed or sprayed with herbicides and that the city applies for a Monarch Waystation certificate. The City of Fremont received an approved certificate No. 829 and is included in the International Monarch Waystation Registry. (Left photo)

Then, there’s Hayley Wilson, age 5 (Below photo), who will start first grade this fall at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Fremont, Ohio. Her parents, Ed and Sherry Wilson, co-owners of Fremont’s Depot Pizza & Tavern, said that Hayley grew fascinated with Monarch butterflies when she raised one from an egg several years ago. So far this year, Hayley has raised and released 9 Monarchs and still has one chrysalis and 16 caterpillars.

There’s also Sue Strohl, who works in Fremont Memorial Hospital’s surgery department. She plants milkweed in her yard to attract Monarchs, then collects the eggs, raises and releases them.

Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to over-wintering areas in Mexico where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is truly one of the world's greatest natural wonders and it’s nice to know that the City of Fremont, Hayley Wilson and Sue Strohl are contributing to Monarch conservation and helping to assure their preservation and the continuation of the spectacular Monarch migration phenomena.

THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2009
Searched our side yard at Monarch Waystation No. 613. I collected 13 Monarch eggs off the Swamp Milkweed (Photo below), none off the Common Milkweed. Also collected 5 parisitized Monarch eggs, where the transparent egg shell was intact, but the innards eaten out. A small slit showed where the parisite invaded. This morning 4 eggs hatched in my "incubator" (plastic aquarium), and 4 eggs hatched into caterpillar "hatchlings" this afternoon. Here's a tally of observations I made so far this year:

Total Monarch seen everywhere= 15 (Not many!)
Total eggs collected = 102
Current eggs in "incubator" aquarium = 56
Total eggs hatched = 33
Current hatchlings(caterpillars in 1st. instar) = 27
Total caterpillars (hatchlings + cats past 1st. instar)= 39
Current cats = 12
Total Fatalities= 27 (Most have been parisite that leaves shell intact but sucks out contents)
Total chrysalis’ = 8
Current chrysalis’= 7
Total Monarchs released = 1 M= 0 F= 0 DK = 1
Projected Monarch release (hatchlings + cats + chrysalis') = 46

The Swamp Milkweed planted at Waystation No. 613 has a beautiful flower and its fragrance is like a Lilac on steroids! It makes a nice, attractive flower to have in your yard. Hopefully, garden centers will begin growing and selling these aromatic plants on a large scale. What a boost to the Monarch butterfly that would be.

(A-25) STARLINGS PERFORM INCREDIBLE AERODYNAMICS!

Lots of theories as to why birds like this flock of Starlings can perform an aereobatic show without crashing into each other. Some believe the birds are simply ultra-coordinated in one or more flight parameters: turning, spacing, velocity, flight direction, etc.

Others take the scientific approach: "When air passes over a mass, it creates a wake. (Newton's theorem). Birds somehow have this in them to sense the eddy currents behind the bird ahead of it. It tries to keep in balance (I don't know how) and it stays in perfect sync and rhythm in float on a cushion of air."

Then, others explain their uncanny ability to fly close is because, unlike humans who can only see in front, birds can see both sides clearly (right and left) giving them 180 degree view. This is why they can adjust during the turns. Most birds can see close to 270 degrees without turning their heads. One knowledgeable person said, "If they turn even 45 degrees, they would cover the remaining 90 degrees as well. So, it is very easy for birds to see around when they are flying without much head movement".

One English ornithologist said, and I quote, "If we are talking of birds of the same feathers flying together as in groups ..the answer is that like you and I...BIRDS HAVE EYES TO SEE where they are going..since their means of movement is thru flight..their INSTINCT tells them how far they are from each other guiding their velocity and manuevering to avoid collision or hitting each other inflight. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY DIDN'T HIT EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY HAVE EYES TO SEE...BUT RATHER I WOULD BE SURPRISED TO SEE BLIND BIRDS FLYING WITHOUT HITTING EACH OTHER!!!"

I'm still confused. Anyhow...Enjoy the video!

(A-24) HUMMINGBIRD BABY NURSED BACK TO HEALTH

This is an amazing rescue of a hummingbird....

"This is actually a pretty amazing story about a baby hummingbird that was found on a sidewalk. He couldn't fly, so I took him under my wing. At night, he would come home to our house for safety. During the day, he was in the backyard of the house near where I found him. About 4 days after I found him, I was holding him in my cupped hands when his mama came by to feed him. She had seen me around, I guess, because she just flew over, perched on my hand and then fed him. This happened a number of times, so I called a friend who is good with a video camera, and he came over to film some of the amazing goings on that I told him about."

(A-22) CREATE A MONARCH WAYSTATION IN YOUR YARD!

Click HERE to learn how to create a Monarch Waystation in your yard & help save the Monarch Butterfly.

(A-23) VIBURNUM, WISTERIA & HONEYSUCKLE HEDGE FOR WILDLIFE

Two Viburnum Autumn Jazz shrubs were planted between a Wisteria sinensis (Chinese Wisteria) on one side and two White Honeysuckle shrubs on the other. It should be an interesting hedge that forms, but I’ll have to trim them, for the wisteria are incredible aggressive and prolific. The hedge will be about 30 feet long and just off my front porch.

Already, robins, cardinals and catbirds feast on the bright red honeysuckle berries. I enjoy sitting on the front porch, watching the hungry birds jump up off the ground to grab a low-hanging berry, or disappearing into its thick canopy and snack in private.

Amazing, but the honeysuckle contains a pheromone for many insects, such as bees and ants. I have noticed lots of succulent insects crawling on and buzzing around the honeysuckle, which in turn attracts hungry songbirds. So, with the fragrant white flowers, juicy red berries, and pheromones, the White Honeysuckle bushes fit into our little front yard ecosystem and enhances biodiversity.

I just planted the Viburnum Autumn Jazz yesterday with plenty of soil from the backyard compost pile. The soil was black and fertile! Amazing what mixing cut lawn grass and fall leaves with kitchen scraps can do in less than a year’s time! Buds are almost ready to burst into white flowers in flat-topped clusters. I heard the flowers of Chinese Viburnum are non-fragrant, so it’ll be interesting to see how many bees, hummingbirds and butterflies they attract. The flowers give way to blue-black, berry-like drupes that birds and other wildlife go crazy over. should be fun front-porch entertainment. The birds find some left-over berries in the Spring when they migrate back.

I don’t know what to say about the Wisteria sinensis or Chinese Wis teria. The flowers are fragrant and it provides cover for the Goldfinch which feed on the thistle seed feeders hanging from the ornate metal grate it grows upon.

Most of the sites describe it as overly-aggressive and a “tree killing”, invasive species. I have to agree; it’s counter-clockwise spiraling vines literally would strangle the orate metal structure it’s crawling upon. I try to pry them off the thistle feeders, but their bound tightly around them, so I cut them off with shears. I’ll have to keep that section of the wildlife-hedge well-trimmed and controlled. The Wisteria does, however, provide thick cover and fragrant flowers that hand in light purple bunches.

Note: View the daily updated newspaper articles and videos on wildlife hedges in right margin under code "(A-23)"