Monarchs and milkweed

Journey North map (4/10/11)

I was delighted to watch two monarchs flying around our front meadow garden at home this afternoon.

It surprised me, even though I knew they'd all left Mexico and were streaming up through the Central U.S., thanks to email reports from Journey North, a great citizen science/classroom participation site.  Check out the map above.

One female was diligently seeking out the common milkweed plants that are abundant in the front meadow, and apparently laying eggs (although I didn't actually find any - I was distracted by fetching my camera).

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

 Monarch investigating young milkweed shoot

She (I think) was quite thorough in investigating the young shoots  -- certainly she exhibited ovipositing behavior!