February 2012

King Kamehamehas I-V, King Lunalilo, King Kalākaua, and  Queen Liliuokalani are the famous Monarchs of Hawaii, but I’m talking about the little, quiet Monarchs I’m used to – the butterflies.

We left Molokai on Wednesday and headed to Lanai to stay with friends at their house for a few days.  On the way back from the beach, we took the “Happy Dust” (don’t ask me what that means!) road back to the house that was a bit rugged.  Deer ran out in front of us a couple of times, but the road was rough so we were going too slow to hit any, thankfully.  It was pretty wild out there, but I was surprised to see one of my favorites plants, Milkweed, growing along the side of the road.  Not just any milkweed, but  – wait for it – Hairy Balls!     Lots of it.  I found one plant with a caterpillar munching away. I didn’t know Monarch butterflies were on Hawaii!  I guess I assumed they were only on the mainland because they have to make the trek to Mexico, but I guess there’s more to these butterflies than I knew.  There isn’t a lot of info out there about Hawaiian monarch butterflies, but there is a project underway to figure out what their migration pattern might be.  Obviously, they aren’t flying to Mexico, but maybe they are flying interisland.  Interesting.   Anyway, everyone patiently waited while I jumped out of the truck to get some pictures.

And just a little of the good life!

Tagged as: Asclepias physocarpa, family jewels, hairy balls, milkweed, monarch butterfly

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