Monarchs & Mazes

[ButterflyPR at comcast.net]

Hi All,

Jim Capinera, with whom I recently attended Monarch Teacher Network training, just told me about something very cool.  Lyman Orchards, who does a corn maze in the fall, currently has a 2 1/2 acre plot of sunflowers designed in the configuration of a monarch butterfly.  They give you a maze map with questions @ each of 10 stations.  Depending on your answers, you either turn left or right until you depart from the maze.  In a recent newspaper article, they apparently mention that the butterfly is also the symbol of fight against pediatric cancer, and I believe they donate $1 of each ticket sold to cancer research.  Their web site is www.lymanorchards.com--there are photos of the maze and $1 coupon on the website.  The maze will be there until early September.

On to other Monarchs--my husband was birding at Hammonasset today, and he said there were Monarchs EVERYWHERE.  When I asked him how many he thought he saw, he said 20-30.  However, he did not actually go to the butterfly garden--he was talking about on the beach and in the woods.

Stopped briefly at Chaffinch today.  I saw one Monarch flying, also about 10 eggs and one tiny caterpillar on two small milkweed plants.  I also think I saw a Hackberry Emperor.  And a Sulphur--starting to see more of them, not sure whether Clouded or Orange.

I continue to find Monarch eggs in my yard--I currently have 11 caterpillars and 2 chrysalides.  Also several eggs, but I'm finding more and more eggs that never hatch--I think they've already been parasitized or something.  Yesterday there were three adult Monarchs flying in my yard, as well as a couple of Tiger Swallowtails.  

I also continue to get reports of friends finding Monarch eggs at Haddam Meadows--hope to get there tomorrow and check it out!

A final Monarch question--I'm wondering how many CBA members have created Monarch Waystations?  Perhaps there's a future newsletter article there.  Please email me if you have a Waystation!  (I'm #38, by the way.)

Diane
in Chester, and on the road