At Pier One, Brooklyn Bridge Park: an adult female Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) perched on some Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). It didn’t look like she was laying eggs, but this would be a good place for them. Is it too late for a brood? Is she one of the last generation of this year’s Monarchs, the generation of unusually-long-lived animals who make their epic way to a cloud forest in central Mexico? Is the species recovering from their terrible numbers of last year? Many questions, yes, but also an opportunity just to marvel at this astonishing creature.
Seen Today
6 responses to “Seen Today”
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Beautiful! I hope they are in recovery!
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I saw one from my window last week – the only one I’ve seen in Brooklyn this year.
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My top day is seeing three at Marine Park.
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Move upstate.
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I was in NJ a couple of weeks ago – we saw only 4 butterflies, and only 4 caterpillars. A lot of the milkweed was untouched by monarch mouths.
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[…] A male Monarch (Danaus plexippus), part of the mosaic, reliefs, and insets that make the subway station at the American Museum of Natural History so great. Last time, a female in the field. […]
Backyard and Beyond 
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