According to my Mom's computer it's 81 degrees outside which is just too warm for February. I know, I know - Florida problems, right? But the earlier the warm starts it means the more heat I have to endure and by September I'm wilted. As I pulled in this afternoon (back from a doctor appt) I thought how nice and warm it was; it's too bad there aren't any butterflies. But then...I saw a Queen on my porterweed! This is cool because butterflies in February are always neat, but also I rarely see Queens. In fact, this last year is the most I've ever seen in my yard and I think I had four sightings (one of which was one I released). So I was super excited. Plus, this one's a female so maybe I'll see some eggs?
As I was looking at the Queen a Cloudless Sulphur flew by but it was in no mood to pose. They rarely are. I guess the butterflies are still out there, just not in the numbers I'm used to seeing them. That should change soon enough with the weather forecast I've seen. Warm and more warm. Not as much rain as we're in the dry season right now. We actually got a lot of rain this winter compared to usual.
I also went and checked out my "official" butterfly garden in the side yard. (The Queen was in front of the house.) My butterfly garden is weedy and needs to be trimmed back, but I'm still waiting a couple weeks even though our official last frost date was Feb 15. I'm always wary of a surprise cold front. While I was there I noticed I apparently still have caterpillars! I thought they had left me, but here was a nearly full-grown Monarch munching on some Giant Milkweed.
