Monarch Butterfly Monday

[Kittykatt]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««

[Kittykatt]

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a rare, large migratory visitor to the UK, most frequently spotted in the south-west of England, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly between August and October. They are not native breeders and usually arrive after being blown across the Atlantic from North America

Caterpillars feed on various Milkweeds (Asclepias species), a plant which is not native to the British Isles, and this explains why the butterfly has not been recorded to have bred here.

The Monarch is the largest butterfly seen in the British Isles and is also one of our rarest migrants, with a concentration of sightings in the south-west, notably from Cornwall and Scilly Isles.I. North America, however, the butterfly can be found almost anywhere that its foodplant grows, including farmland, gardens and even roadsides. The Monarch overwinters in sheltered forests made up of Eucalyptus trees, Monterey pines and Monterey cypresses.

Known for its ability to travel large distances, the migrations in North America are one of the greatest natural phenomena in the world - where the adult butterflies can migrate from as far north as Canada to the overwintering grounds in Mexico, the west coast of California and Florida.

Millions of the butterflies make a 2,000-mile (3,220km) journey each year from Canada to pass the winter in central Mexico’s warmer weather. But climate change, pesticides and the incursion of illegal loggers have seen the forests dwindle and with them, the number of monarchs.

https://www.uksafari.com/jpeg3/monarch01.jpg

[Kittykatt]

Good morning everyone and happy Monday!

KitKat, I hope the hot bath helped your hip and back.

Gma, that is ingeniously to use the hairdryer to thaw out the door latch! And what a lot of snow!

Today DH goes to the office, and I'm at home. Today we start a week of looking after Cookie (DNeighbours S and T's cat), while they get some winter sun in The Canaries.

We had rain overnight, but it looks dry so far. It's also 5C, so not particularly warm yet, but hopefully I'll get outside today, as well as attending to my house!

[Kittykatt]

To do:

Appointments:
Monday:
DH to office
At home for me
Feed Cookie pm
Tuesday:
DH WFH
At home for me
Feed Cookie am pm
Wednesday:
DH to office
At home for me
Feed Cookie am pm
Wrap cake for MQ - do I have candles?
Put by front door so I don't forget!
Email church administrator reenu for parish lumch
Final touches to Waitrose order no later than 9pm
Thursday:
DH WFH
Feed Cookie am pm
10.30 am church
REMEMBER CAKE FOR MQ
Any errands to run?
Can I hoover the car?
Pick up Jude's YuMove.from vet - (the supplier sent the dog version.last week! )remember Petplan
6-7 pm Waitrose delivery
Friday:
DH WFH
Feed Cookie am pm
9.30 hair cut -me
3.45pm. (leave at 2.30pm because traffic) mammogram - me
Saturday:
DH??
9am. Women's breakfast at community shop and café
Feed Cookie am pm
Text DF E re coffee tomorrow
Sunday:
Church 9.30 am
Feed Cookie am pm
Last orders for pariH lunch (ask for announcement on notices)
REMEMBER SR HAS SENT HER CHOICE BY EMAIL- ADD TO LIST
Visit DF E for coffee
Laxapet Jude and Matilda
Set up new Waitrose delivery
Collate menu choices and prepare to email to oub

Future dates to note:
2/4 weight check -Jude
31/3 bloods/Solensia health check under sedation -Fred

Sometime when it stops raining - roofer L will work on Garage roof and small house job
11/5 (this may get pushed back if the rain doesn't stop, but J will contact me the week before) - painter J to paint outside of house and clean fascias./downpipes etc

Outstanding deliveries: eBay

Extras:
Order coffee for church
30 minutes on my response to DEFRA consultation ( they estimate it will take 4 hours. I've already read through the material and had a good think about some of the issues raised, so hopefully it will take less time, but I'm still allowing myself plenty of time. Responses have to be submitted by the end of March, but I dont want to leave it until the last minute!) #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8
Order new orthotics - WIP
Can I do 15 minutes of decluttering each day?
Digital decluttering- Google Photos for 2024 and 2025
Pick up my footprints
Book eye test for me
Sort prints and put in albums (this will probably be an activity to do on wet days!) WIP I am now working on 2025
Think about setting up Guardianship for F,J and M - looked on Cats' Protection, I need their microchip numbers, approximate DOB, colour and markings and useful information about them. Bookmark link with local recommended solicitors (also ask DF CW?)

To do:
Early morning:
Cuddles and treats on the bed with Matilda,
Jude and Freddie
Cup of tea
QT
Lightbox session
Make bed
Shower / wash hair/ moisturiser and sunblock/ clean and floss teeth
DH launched
Physio exercises and back exercises WIP
Proprioceptors exercises X1 x2 x3
S/S bathroom
Get dressed
Breakfast and meds / supplements - me
DRINK WATER #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8
Check bank account
Go for my walk

Garden:
15 minutes in tiny front garden
15 minutes in back garden

Cats:
Cats’ breakfast and meds / supplements
Fresh water in cat bowls
Scoop cat trays
Check Jude’s bowl
Check Matilda's bowl
Walk Freddie
Lap time with Jude, Freddie and Matilda
Play with Jude, Freddie and Matilda
Head rubs with Jude,Freddie and Matilda
Cats' supper

House:
Rubbish down to wheelie bins
Kitchen clean up
Unload DW
Load DW
Run DW when full
Unload DW
PUPA downstairs
Quick dust sitting room
Quick hoover downstairs
PUPA upstairs
Quick dust bedrooms
Quick hoover upstairs
Lunch
Supper
Lay out clothes for tomorrow
Journal three things I am thankful for today
Hand cream

Extra house tasks:

Monday:
Clean bathroom
Clean spare room
Clean bedroom
Put draught excluders.away.foe the aummer

Tuesday:
Clean hall
Clean sitting room
Clean stairs
Empty hoover before starting work
Wheelie bins back when dustmen have been
Filing paperwork for 15 minutes

Wednesday:
Clean kitchen

Garden extras:
Water pots
Feed pots weekly
Topdress roses in pots #1#2#3
Repot that rose that needs it
Mulch roses in borders with FYM - front garden done back garden still to do
Feed roses their special food
Slow release fertiliser on borders
Feed lawn
Think about what I'm going to grow in *that* patch, which is sloping and shaded now the climbing hydrangea is gone. Montbretia at the back are fine, with supports so they don't flop everywhere, and I can keep an eye on them to make sure they dont spread into everything. There is a hardy geranium that's looking sad, but it might do better with less competition and more light? Maybe I could just sow some low growing hardy annuals and see what happens?
Buy some more pansies?
April (depending on weather!).buy geraniums (work out how many I'll need in advance!


Financial:
More work on budget WIP- look at discretionary payments this week 30 minute sessions #1

[Doggedly]

Hi, Kittykatt. Thank you for starting us off. Monarchs are fascinating. My understanding is that the migration is multigenerational, so the butterflies in Canada will never see Mexico and vice versa. It's baffling how each generation knows where to go and where to stop.
Sunday I just decided to take the day off, and did nothing useful. I ought to get some sleep though, so that I can be more useful on Monday. I'd like to give my db a call, and have a nice phone visit.

trissie, that sounds like quite the dilemma to choose. You and your fellow citizens deserve better.

[Kittykatt]

Sleep well, Dogged! We all deserve a day off from time to time, so we can come back refreshed. The more I read about Monarch butterflies, the more amazing they are -I think Helia' s DH was involved in some research on them?

I try not to think about the political situation too much, but once thing I've noticed, at least over here, when people are feeling relatively well off and secure financially, they tend to vote.more.towards the left, whereas when they are.feeling the pinch financially, they tend to swing more to the right. Many people here are very unhappy ATM, with the soaring cost of food, (which of course everyone needs!) the high energy prices, and the appalling state of the roads. A new right wing party which was just started a month ago in the UKalready has well over 100,000 paid up members, making it (I think) the 4th largest party here, based on membership, and the fastest growing in history. Whether this will actually translate into seats at the local upcoming elections is another matter. (t5y666yfhyhcyc. B. -Matilda's thoughts on the issue! )

We have local council elections in May, and the results could be very interesting! (Of course, local elections are different from the GE, as, if your local councillor for your ward is hard working and gets things done that are important to the local population, people tend to vote for them anyway, irrespective of which party they represent.)

On a lighter note, I am delaying Freddie's walk today as we have *another* meter reader going round and reading the water meters in the road.. (This used to be a monthly job -not sure why they are now coming round every week???) Anyway, this one is an inoffensive looking young lady, who certainly does *not* deserve to be intimidated by Freddie! So Fred will have to wait until the coast is clear.

[Bama]

Good morning!

Thanks for the interesting start, kittykatt. We are starting to see butterflies on our azaleas here, so pretty. Hope all goes well with the meter reader.

Interesting trivia about the monarch, dogged.

Gma, how clever to think of the hair dryer on the lock.

Trissie, I like red onions raw, and cook white, I interchange the sweet varieties with the stronger ones in cooking, just depends what I have. Strawberry onions are supposed to be sweet enough to eat like an apple (supposedly because they plant rows of strawberries in between rows of onions) but the ones I’ve had were pretty strong. I like them all so I think it just depends on if you like onions or not as to which variety is sweet or strong, they all taste like onion lol.

I’m only sort of up, it’s thundering rain and of course the dogs wanted to go out, so we are back in now. Dd2 made it home late last night, around midnight, as we have to register her car today. You used to not have to bring the car to registration if it were new but now they just have to see it so we will show it to them. I think that’s the norm elsewhere and we are catching up to it but not sure. Going back to bed until my alarm goes off.

[L.Ann]

I think helia’s DH tags monarchs to track their migration. We are on severe weather watch…. Both DD33’s center and Little Bit are off 2 hours off.

1-drop off Little Bit
2-walk if it hasn’t rained yet

Menus
Monday-stir fried rice
Tuesday-pick up Panera to eat at home
Wednesday-DD33 out/me leftovers
Thursday-pasta and garlic knots
Friday-curried Chicken and roasted sweet potato jumble
Saturday-fajita spiced shrimp and grain bowl
Sunday-sweet Thai chili salmon with carrots and zucchini


Events
Monday-Little Bit 7:40-5, Little Bit school 9-1:00
Tuesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, Little Bit school 9-3:15, 10:30 eye appointment me, 3:30 DD33 hair appointment, Little Bit late
Wednesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, Little Bit school 9-3:15, DD33 w/PS 3-8, 11:45 lunch out with friend
Thursday-Little Bit 7:40-5, Little Bit school 9-3:15, 10:15 virtual genetics appointment, Little Bit late
Friday-Little Bit 7:40-5, Little Bit school 9-3:15
Saturday-1:00 Annie

Weekly House Blessing-
Detailed cleaning of dining room-scrub dining room
Death book-update DD33’s pages, call lawyer for appointment to review will and DD33’s POAs
Phone calls-call my tax person, email DMom’s tax person
Taxes-contact 2 accountants

Accomplishments
-stretching and knee exercises
-breakfast for dog and me
-dress and pick up bedroom
-DD33 meds and temp
-walk a mile
-pick up Little Bit
-breakfast for Little Bit
-move things for storm and bring in bucket for water

[kitkat]

Good morning Kittykatt! Love the Butterfly theme:) Thanks for the start:) \
Thanks for your kind words.
Interesting observation about politics...

Dogged hope you have a nice phone visit:)

Bama I have never heard of Strawberry Onions... I love onions and use them extensively in my cooking.

Gma - hairdryer is a great idea! Not sure I would have thought of it...

LAnn Weather watches and warnings seem to be our normal now... We have strong winds and showers coming for 24 hours... Now would be a good time to walk , but:

unfortunately, my back has been uncooperative. It was a very rough night. Pain kept me up for 3 hours. Tylenol did nothing.
No idea what I can accomplish today. Might be a very lazy day.
Will start with a slow MR.

[helia]

Yes, dh still has that project tagging monarch butterflies. That's why he travels to Mexico every December. Another university has had more success tracking the entire route by using crowd sourcing - but they had huge gaps in places where not many people live. Dh's group is aiming to collect all the info all the time independent of outside observers, and they have had better success in tracking precisely with no gaps - but for a shorter distance, a hundred miles, maybe? Maybe they should work together. Pretty ambitious. Dh's lab creates the teeny tiny sensors that are being put on the butterflies by the biology professor.

From what I understand, there's a special generation of monarchs born in the late summer/ early fall. This generation is larger and more robust than the others, and it also lives a lot longer, like 8-9 months vs. a few weeks. They don't breed until the spring on their return trip back north. But they don't make it all the way back and die en route. Their offspring finish the migration -- or maybe their offspring's offspring? Not sure how many generations as these generations just live a few weeks.

So, Doggedly, the monarchs you see in Canada in the late summer/ early fall very well may travel to Mexico. Hopefully, they make it - but many do not.

I'm on a call with the census bureau right now, a monthly call.