Monarch Butterflies

 The Disappearing Monarch

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Jack Pine Trail, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Conservation Status: imperiled (S2N,S4B) in Ontario, CA (NatureServe). Taken July 20, 2018.

Once bountiful and ever present, is a thing of the past for the Monarch Butterfly as it slowly disappears from the landscapes of North America. Once every year I could visit a location and was sure to find my beloved Monarchs doing their thing. Even with some years a more proliferation of the butterflies was witnessed but sadly this has all come to an end and with only one single sighting this year in Alleyn-et-Cawood, Québec where the species once had a stronghold in the Milkweed fields. One could venture to the Arboretum in downtown Ottawa and find the Monarchs in full flutter on the varieties of flora arrangements of the gardens. Here I will look at the presence of the Monarch Butterfly over the past five years noting that documentation of the butterfly has fallen and 2022 marks the declaration that the Migratory Monarch Butterfly now Endangered - IUCN Red List.

Pinecrest Creek, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken September 16, 2023.

Now it is quite common only to spot the rare one in Ontario and Quebec, usually only late in the season. When it used to be common to see them throughout the year in different locations. I am hoping to find some rare gems in the late season this year if I am lucky. 

Hendrie Park, Royal Botanical Garden, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Taken September 21, 2022.

I was extremely pleased to find Monarchs at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Hamilton while I visited in 2022. Not only photographing but getting some video as well was a rare treat.

Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken September 10, 2022.

2021 was the last year that there was a proliferation of the butterflies and that it was seen throughout the city of Ottawa and in Eastern Quebec. This turned out to be the last time to see the butterfly on such diverse locations in Ontario and Quebec Eastern regions. Even in caterpillar form they were observed in Quebec at the most Northern locations which proved to be a boon for the butterfly. 

Dominion Arboretum Ornamental Garden, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken July 20, 2021.

Kaz Station, Québec, Canada.

Thomson Lake, Alleyn-et-Cawood, Québec, Canada. Taken July 24, 2021.

Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken July 28, 2021.

Year 2020 proved to be a poor year for viewing the Monarchs with no documentation of this marvellous butterfly not to mention this was the first summer of Covid and the pandemic. But year 2019 proved to be a good year for the butterflies documenting caterpillars and adults in the expected locations. 

Kaz Station, Québec, Canada. Taken July 7, 2019

Thomson Lake, Alleyn-et-Cawood, Québec, Canada.

Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada.
Taken October 11, 2019

Cooper Marsh Conservation Area, Lancaster, Ontario, Canada. Taken October 20, 2019.