Where have all the bees and butterflies gone?????

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:15 pm

I've been home at the beach all summer and have only seen 2 bees and a few monarch butterflies

The locals plant goldenrod or the butterflies to be used as food. The butterflies and bees spend the summer on the dunes and don't leave the beach until November. Where are these animals

I took some pics of the sand dunes on my beach where they live during the summer and fall months....Plenty of food and no bees and butterflies

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:16 pm

Oh, that is sad. You still see a few butterflies here, but they will go away soon with cold weather approaching.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:17 pm

Well here in San Diego both are alive and well. I was just commenting to someone at work that the Monarch Butterflies are huge this year and so beautiful.

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:27 pm

Ahhhhh, I'm so glad that they're alive somewhere. But, why aren't they here at the beach? Every State along the eastern seaboard have planted goldenrod to be used by the butterflies during their journey home from Mexico to Canada. Geeze, even the Canada swans are here now full time:-4

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:36 pm

Not used to seeing either bees or butterflies on the beach - see fewer than usual but still plenty inland.

Instead of goldeneye we use buddleia to attract the butterflies. Seeing a lot of masonry bees around at the moment as well.

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:42 pm

Bryn Mawr;1009710 wrote: Not used to seeing either bees or butterflies on the beach - see fewer than usual but still plenty inland.

Instead of goldeneye we use buddleia to attract the butterflies. Seeing a lot of masonry bees around at the moment as well.

Oh, I'm glad to hear that Bryn....maybe we should use that plant:-6

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:27 pm

we still have them here, and just as many as before, but soon they will all disappear as the cold weather draws closer.

not sure what happened to yours, maybe they took a different route this year? It does happen.

flopstock · Post by **flopstock** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:30 pm

my wildflower garden has just been packed with bees and butterfiles the last couple of weeks.

it's actually been unusually large numbers... i made my daughter come out one afternoon ..there were so many more then we normally see..

do you suppose they could have been blown inland with the last storms? I'm illinois but even we got totally drenched with ike i believe it was...

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:30 pm

Odie;1009753 wrote: we still have them here, and just as many as before, but soon they will all disappear as the cold weather draws closer.

not sure what happened to yours, maybe they took a different route this year? It does happen.

I hope that's all it is:-6I'm glad you still have the butterflies:-6

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:39 pm

This may be the answer.......

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A964958260

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:38 pm

I did some checking for you Kath.

Theyre in Little Rock.

Reunion or something.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 12:52 am

It's actually a world wide phenomenon and a serious one. It's actually one of the reasons for european opposition to gm crops and the concomitant insecticides and herbicides-no wild flowers, nothing for insects to feed on and insecticides tend to be fairly indiscriminate. Our wild bird population has fallen as well.

No one knows what is happening or why but it is a cause for concern.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environmen ... 13971.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6400179.stm

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:54 am

I know about this as well, as we do bee research in my facility, its been noted that there does seem to be something very serious going on with these insects. Its not fully understood what is going on, but I would put good money on it that the changing climate is now starting to manifest itself in ways that no one can predict, which is the nature of these things. Just another one of the problems we refuse to acknowledge or do anything about.

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:15 am

they're all here in Texas apparently!

butterflies scare me! :-3

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:23 am

I saw alot of them at the beach. Maybe they just like Ocean City better:wah: and as for honeybees, my tomatoes are doing great still and I see them every morning.