Eastern Monarchs – Two Paths through Georgia

Monarchs continue to be an iconic butterfly, and their large size and bright colors make them a favorite of children and nature lovers. The message of planting milkweed for their survival is still so strong that seasonal plant sales almost can’t stock enough of it. Those of us who give pollinator presentations try hard to convince people that a bunch of other native butterflies also need their host plants.

Spring migration monarch 

Fall migration monarch

Last year I represented the Georgia Native Plant Society in a collaboration with Monarchs Across Georgia and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia to update a brochure about using milkweed in Georgia. The goal was to make the brochure easier to use for average gardeners, ensure that it represented all of Georgia’s native species, and to give caution about milkweeds that we should avoid in Georgia. We also added more text about the support that adult monarch butterflies need: 

“A good rule of thumb is that, for every milkweed, you should provide 8-10 nectar plants. Excellent choices for early spring (April-May) include several native species of coreopsis, phlox, salvia, bluestar and butterweed. Plants producing nectar in September and October are critical to fueling the monarchs’ migration to Mexico! These include native asters, goldenrods, ironweeds, bonesets and blue mistflowers.”

If you haven’t seen the brochure or you’d like a digital copy for yourself, you can find it on the GNPS website as part of the Society’s educational resources.

I recently found a single tiny monarch caterpillar on my poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata); actually I was showing the milkweed to a visitor and she noticed the caterpillar first. I’m sure that the adult must have laid other eggs – there was evidence of light nibbling on foliage – but this was the only one left.

Source

Georgia is fortunate to be a part of both the spring and fall migrations of Eastern monarchs. This map by The Xerces Society illustrates that my area (metro Atlanta) supports the butterflies that come up from Mexico but you’ll notice there is also a Coastal path in Georgia from the presumed Florida resident population (a path that is still being confirmed – report your sightings to help with documenting this population).

We don't have to grow this but we should leave it for them

We’ve got to continue to get the message out about providing nectar plants for butterflies (a message that benefits more than just monarchs) as well as conserving natural habitat and roadside flowers (yes, those huge stands of goldenrod are supporting them!). We’ve also got to get the message out that pesticide use (I’m looking at you, mosquito sprayers) is contributing to the decline of pollinators, including butterflies.

One of the best things we can do in addition to our yard, is to educate others. From the Xerces link: “Help other people learn about monarchs and how they can get involved! Talk to your friends, neighbors, and online communities. Every little bit of awareness and habitat helps, and for monarchs to really recover, they will need a lot of us to pitch in.”

June 2025 Moment in Nature

A few moments of extra special this week: an owlet appeared in the driveway out of the blue. This Barred Owl is familiar in this area - we hear the adults calling often and the neighborhood's abundance of large trees in woodland areas is perfect for them.

We spent several hours observing it. It changed its location once so it seems as if it wasn't hurt. A thunderstorm came through while it was next to a bench so my husband rigged up an umbrella. After the rain, it got active again and ran through the puddles to another area. About that time, one of the parents appeared in a tall pine overlooking the driveway and we took that as a hopeful sign.

Barred owl in location #2 by the bench 

Later in the day, I tried to guide it with a stick back to the woods and it fell down, revealing a bloody wound under the wing. It was too late to take him to a care facility so we put it in a box with a mesh top for overnight safety but he didn't live through the night. This was quite the sad #momentinnature for June.

Landscape Spotlight: Beebalm (Monarda)

In my travels, I occasionally come across a particularly nice display of a native plant in a designed landscape. I usually take a photo of it, but I don’t always have a chance to work that into a blog. This week a bright spot of red flowers caught my eye as I was out running errands. I was pleased to see that it was a robust planting of scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma).

Two colors of Monarda and a Coreopsis cultivar

Beebalm is a native perennial that does best in full sun (6 hours or more) and good moisture. The flowers are popular with native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The foliage is pleasantly aromatic, a trait that has led to another common name of Oswego tea and its usage as an herbal tea.

I am not sure if the purple flower flanking the scarlet beebalm is a cultivar of the same plant (M. didyma) or one of the wild bergamot cultivars (Monarda fistulosa). When it comes to Monarda, all the cultivars I've seen affect flower color or height but still provide good support to native insects seeking pollen and nectar.

If you are in need of a bright perennial and can provide sun and moisture, consider adding beebalm to your list. Need other ideas? Have a look at my Native Summer Perennials post from earlier.

Wild Bees for the Win in Georgia’s Blueberry Crops

 

Penstemon smallii

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my garden’s new Penstemon species. They are still blooming – along with several other species of beardtongue – and the bumblebees are having a blast. Soon my St. John’s wort (Hypericum) shrubs will be in bloom and they’ll move on to it, following seasonal bloom cycles as if their life depended on it.

The bees are not just here to amuse me, they have a role to play. An article published this week by UGA CAES highlighted a study of the role of Georgia’s bees in our blueberry crops. Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

“The study, published in Environmental Entomology, recorded more than 5,000 wild bees, identifying 72 species across 26 genera — the most comprehensive survey of wild bees conducted in Georgia blueberry farms.”

“As part of a broader USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) project aimed at boosting blueberry yields by establishing pollinator- and predator-friendly flowering plants around fields, Sarah Rezende focused on how wild bee populations shift across space and time in southeast Georgia blueberry farms.”

This kind of data gives us an important tool to convince farmers and policy-makers that native plants and the insects that they attract can be significant contributors to their crop success. According to the article, “Georgia ranked third nationally in blueberry production.” The study also emphasizes that having flowering plants across all 3 growing seasons is important to maintain a robust population of those native bees.

“The most important thing farmers and residents can do is support a wide variety of flowering plants that bloom throughout the year. This not only helps sustain a diverse range of bees but also ensures their populations remain strong across seasons. Because different solitary and specialist bee species forage at different times, continuous blooms are essential.”

I've written about native bees before and you might find some of these previous posts helpful. They include resources such as books and lists of plants. And I’ll close with a photo of our spectacular specialist bee, the Southeastern blueberry bee. Georgia's farmers and gardeners can’t afford to lose her.

Native Plants for Native Bees

Save the Wild Bees

Bee Welcome - a post about a really useful book!

Southeastern blueberry bee