Fortunately, we caught on to what the "weeds" were, swamp milkweed. Now they reseed themselves, but last spring before we realized what the "weeds" we were pulling up were, we had removed dozens of seedlings. I had the incentive to gather seed of three local species of milkweed to plant in our garden. And that means having milkweed, the plant family (several species) that their caterpillars will need to eat. And for them to return to Mexico next winter, they will have to mate and have offspring. That means that those that left New England (and up and down the East Coast) have mated and left Mexico by now, and their offspring will arrive here come summer. Our population of monarch butterflies overwinter in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the states of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March. This year (not to imply earlier records occurred this and earlier years), one was seen and photographed at a sugar water feeder in the town of Florida on April 24. In the 1990s, while the earliest arrival records were early May (May 2), while by 2017 early records were around April 29.
A few adventuresome individuals have been in The Berkshires for two weeks, anyway. Include the location, number, your name and date. I always enjoy receiving a brief email when readers first see hummingbirds and monarch butterflies. At the time of this writing, I have yet to see one. And, with it, an assortment of bird species that will nest in our yards and parks, woodlands, meadows, and marshes.Īfter receiving a photograph of a hummingbird taken in the town of Florida, I boiled up enough water to fill one feeder and added sugar (4 parts water to 1 part granulated sugar) and later that day hung the feeder out where I could keep an eye on it. Spring is here, even if no one has told the weather that. They also feed on caterpillars, large moths, crayfish and even earth worms. Of course, like any respectful hawk, the species will not turn away from mice, shrews, chipmunks and even small birds. As the season continues, snakes are added to their diet. In spring, frogs and even toads are favorites. Those we saw had come from the direction of a marshy pond across the road in The GEAA golf course, where undoubtedly, they were looking for, perhaps successfully, spring peepers. James (2017), and found a sighting by the author on March 20, 1998, with larger numbers seen in April 19, 1972, in Richmond (Congdon), when 333 were seen. I wondered what the earliest records were and checked "Annotated List of Birds of Berkshire County, Massachusetts" by David St. I guess not, although, we usually begin looking for them around mid-April. My first thought was that this is early, considering the weather patterns.
Last weekend, I heard a whistling call coming from overhead and looking up, both Sue and I saw two circling broad-wing hawks and, a moment later, a third joined them.
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