Migrating Monarchs (Danaus plexippus)

October 28th, 2014. Many years ago, we planted elaeagnus plants along the fence line to form a windbreak. The plants were labeled as Elaeagnus umbellata but they look more like Elaeagnus pungens with…

Spotted buds and flowers, and…

ovoid fruit.
 

They are blooming profusely at the moment. The fragrance from the flowers is almost overwhelming.

As much as these bushes are reputed to be invasive, they provide a rich source of nectar for honey bees at a time when sources of food are sparce. The bushes hum with the sound of hundreds of bees swarming around them.

This morning, however, I saw flashes of orange and thought they were Gulf Fritillaries but suddenly realized I was looking at Monarch butterflies (Danaus plixippus); there were at least four and, possibly, as many as six. They were alternating between basking in the morning sun and feeding on the nectar from the flowers. 

As much as the elaegnus get a bad rap for being invasive, it appears that these plants may be providing an important source of food for these butterflies as they migrate south to Mexico for the Winter. 

I’ve seen the occasional Monarch in the woods during the Fall but never in the numbers I saw this morning. This is the first time I’ve seen Monarchs on the elaeagnus. Obviously I’m going to have to pay more attention to these bushes during the Fall.

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Yesterday we took a field trip to the Oconee Wildlife Management Area is just to the east of Lake Oconee and covers land in Greene, Hancock and Putnam counties; most of the area is in Greene county. We drove the perimeter road running southwest from Liberty Church Road to the end of the WMA land.

Much of the area is open woodland with some pine forests developing in areas that had been clear-cut. At the moment Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) and Maryland Cottonaster (Chrysopsis mariana) are the most common wildflowers blooming along the roadside.

There was a lot of butterfly activity. Mostly Cloudless Sulphurs (Phoebis sennae), Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae), and numerous skippers. Then we noticed some butterflies that were a deeper orange and with a different wing profile from the Gulf Fritillary as well as the thicker black banding around the margins of the wings. Small groups or three or four were working the Goldenrod flowers but they were constantly on the move so that we couldn’t get photos. Then as we were driving out in the late afternoon, we found a couple sunning themselves with wings open to catch the warmth of the late afternoon sun. At the time first I thought it was a Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) but when I checked, I found it was a Monarch. This was a nice find since the Monarch isn’t resident in Georgia. It only passes through on migrations to or from Mexico and reported sightings are fewer in southeastern states than in other states.

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Identification resource:
Butterflies and Moths of North America:
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)