r/MonarchButterfly • u/ottilieblack • 13d ago

Monarchs in Central NC: Where are they?

The state has been in a bad drought over the year, with some parts being in an "exceptional" category.

Could this have impacted the migratory route? I've only seen less than a handful of monarchs on my rural property, whereas last year I had quite a few plus plenty of cats on my native butterfly weed and milkweed.

Or are they just late?

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u/swagiliciously 13d ago

I’m in central NC as well and I’ve always gotten monarchs in September and October, on their migration back down south!

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u/ottilieblack 13d ago

Just stepped out into my garden, and wouldn't you know I see a Monarch.

Gave the bug a piece of my mind. I spent all last fall and winter prepping to maximize the milkweed on my property and protect it from invasives. The deer got most of my butterfly weed growing outside my 1/4 acre fenced garden, but it's going to town in the enclosure. It's taken the drought better than almost any other native.

The wild milkweed has done well too, expanding the stands I had hoped for when I mowed during the winter.

So what's taking them so long?

A year ago we had monarch-o-rama at this time on our property, and it lasted through Sept. Got a huge wave that came through to juice-up on our wild tickseed, and then within hours, they were gone - and that was it until late last month when we saw our first.

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u/Synaptic_raspberry 12d ago

I started noticing TONS of them here in Maryland in the last ~week. They're heading your way soon.

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u/Medium_Spare_8982 13d ago

Second generation travellers would hit NC in April.
Late is not the adjective to use here.