The Great Pretender

Edit: Cindy did complete an email interview with me, but "life" got in my way of getting it posted. I've decided wait unitl next spring to post her words of wisdom because it will be a perfect time to read Cindy's hints for those of you who want to attract Monarchs and other butterflies to your property.



I think that Monarch and Viceroy Butterfly wings look like stained glass windows. This picture was taken at Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve in Seneca County, Ohio. Do you think that it is a Monarch or Viceroy? The two look so much alike that it takes a closer inspection to identify exactly which butterfly one is looking at.

 

 

At first, I thought this was a Monarch. But when I cropped the picture to prepare it for this blog post, my brain cells got all fussed up.

Something looked different....maybe. I looked at the picture of a Monarch in my last post and, yep, the wing pattern was a teeny-tiny bit different.

Then I wondered...which is which? I needed help in thinking this out and donned my Sherlock hat. A quick Internet search helped me to decide that my first picture is correct; it is a Monarch. And the beauty pictured above is a Viceroy.

I am not going to explain the differences; if you are interested, your assignment is research. To help, this webpage is excellent.  

If you are a more casual lover of butterflies, I am sure that you'll agree with me that both have beautiful wings, fit for any cathedral :)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....Cindy, our Monarch enthusiast, informs that last week was prime migration time for Monarchs in our area. She reports seeing at least a dozen flitting around one day. I have also seen many of the orange beauties. I did not get any pictures because they had the petal to the metal. Who knew that butterflies could fly so fast? They have a long way to go, so I can't blame them for not taking long lay-overs here in Ohio.

Cindy is working on a guest blog post for OCJ, where she will share her adventure trip to Mexico, where she was dazzled by the sheer amount of orangeness.

For now, Cindy says, " Last I checked, I have had 4 or 5 tags recovered! They do go to Mex from here! Wish I could join them."

Marcheta * "You know my methods, Watson"

Regal Attire



All Dressed up With Somewhere to Go.
 I found this Monarch Butterfly fueling up
for its long flight to Mexico at Amann
Reservoir in Galion, Ohio.



My original plan for Ohio Country Journal was to record a country year, not only my experiences, but also to profile the lives of the amazing women who have chosen to make their own careers by working in the country. I feel that I did a pretty good job of giving readers a glimpse into the country life, whether it be by describing work, talents, or by sharing recipes, and was satisfied to stop posting.

However, my mind has changed (I am a woman after all *smiles*) because of requests to fire up the blog again. So here it is; a new post. I am starting the new season of blogging on a regal note by yammering about Monarch Butterflies.

Sure, they are pretty. Pretty amazing, that is. I became aware of just how amazing these beauties are when I worked with Cindy Eusey at Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center in Leesville, Ohio.


Since retiring from teaching, Cindy has joined the ranks of full-time country women and was known for a while as the Llama Lady. Ever the teacher, Cindy was also the environmental educator at the nature center, where one of the Monarch Butterflies that she tagged during a program for school children was discovered in Mexico.

Stay tuned to this blog to learn just why Monarch Butterflies are dear to Cindy's heart by reading her story about traveling to Monarch migration grounds in Mexico (teaser...she had to ride a mule for part of the journey!).

Marcheta *float like a butterfly...oops, that's Mohamed Ali's tag line (shhhh...don't tell that I borrowed it)