Had an exciting morning this Wed. My daughter who lives in Vermont called me early to say that a friend of hers in Maryland had posted on Facebook that on Tues morning while driving across the Bay Bridge he had seen a large 'cloud' of Monarch Butterflies flying along parallel to the bridge! Hundreds he guessed.
Off I went to try and find a possible overnight roost, reasoning that they would stop and nectar after crossing a large body of open water like it is reported they do in the Great Lakes. Went to a 280+ area on the Bay in sight of the Bridge with oodles of milkweed, goldenrod just coming in to flower and mature cedar trees.
When I got there and parked, I asked some early am runners if they had seen any Monarchs and got answers like 'Quite a few' and "yes, but they were all up in the trees' By the time I got there, I saw none in the trees but did see 15 - 20 'intensely nectaring' on some Butterfly Weed which was reblooming after being mowed in July. Bright orange beacons!
Guess my elderly now passed newspaper customer wasn't just pulling my leg when he told me that as kids he and his family would go down to their beach and watch clouds of Monarchs fly in each Fall. One year there were so many that ole man so and sos cedar tree turned orange!
Kurt, last pic is for you.
<-- Pearl crescents in my garden, thought they didn't come here but evidently yes. They love the overgrown Tall Ageratums
I kill them every time I try to grow them so gave up. 
Cabbage White -> 
< Webworm Moth
< night Loopers
