Monarch Butterflies Defintely Migrating Through Houston

Another great day for the Fall 2011 Migration of Monarch Butterflies through Houston.  I saw a total of 7 today, and tagged 5 of them.  There were roughly the same amount of males and females.  I mentioned this on the Journey South site, but what I’m  noticing this year compared to previous years is how clean the Butterflies look.  Very few scratches on the wings, and they don’t look terribly worn out.

As I’ve mentioned hundreds of times already, these Butterflies (and others) are drawn to the nectar in the Zinnia gardens.  This is definitely a plant I’m going to keep.  For what it’s worth, they are most attracted to the yellow and orange Zinnias, along with the occasional Pink.  They seem to avoid the red ones.  Although I have Milkweed all over the yard, I haven’t seen many frequent the flowers on there near as much as the Zinnia.

Monarch Butterfly Getting Nectar On Pink And Yellow Zinnias

Male Monarch Getting Nectar On Pink And Red Zinnias

Female Fall 2011 Migration Monarch On Milkweed