Monarchs!

From this afternoon's walk along the greenbelt: About as many monarch butterflies in one photo than I've seen in the last few years!

=> A lot of orange-and black butterflies on a pine branch, most of their wings closed.

There were a whole bunch of them clustered on a pine branch above the path. I wouldn't have even seen them, but other people out walking had stopped to check them out.

=> A slightly wider view with even more butterflies.

=> And still more butterflies.

I was just reading that this year's overwintering monarch count is up to over 200,000 - a huge improvement over last year's count of, I kid you not, 1,914. Though still not up to the millions that were regularly seen as recently as the 1990s.

=> LA Times article on the monarch butterfly count. | Xerces Society's Monarch Call to Action

Both articles list ways you can help the iconic species rebound.

—Kelson Vibber, 2022-01-16

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