This post provides something of a timer for watchers of #MonarchButterflies since they left Mexico to re-colonize the States & Canada, as well as a cautionary tale.

Monarchs began to break camp in March, flew north and didn't find much milkweed to lay eggs on, even in Texas, because of the severe drought. Monarchs first to break camp went to Texas; laggards managed Oklahoma that was not just in drought but subjected to a series of protracted deeper-than-usual freezes and the local milkweeds were very very late coming up. However, I did have a few potted milkweeds I kept inside (Tropical) but they had become infested with spider mites, and monarch remigrants found 'em and laid lots of eggs on 'em anyway.

The upshot is that eggs were laid on potted milkweeds from April 11 thru April 20, and unfortunately, the spider mites did nearly all of 'em in...but...I had a few survivors, two of which completed pupation and was released today, but far north of Enid. Clara's Limo Service carted the two brothers to a place where Mississippi Kites don't nest, and Mississippi Kites eat monarchs. Found that out the hard way in prevous years, and the sorry tale of monarchs and Lord Fauntleroy Kite is a whole different story to tell at a different time.

So--for the timing: Remigrants reaching Enid OK would have laid eggs on wild milkweeds if only they had come up, and they didn't; The survivors pupated on May 9, and eclosed today, May 14, and that, folks is First Generation monarch. When they mate and their ladies lay eggs, that's about the time frame you'll be looking at for Generation Two...and so forth until Fall Migration when the last generation, The Greatest Generation, produces monarch butterflies that can overwinter without much food for several months in a row, until spring comes again.