I am trying to connect some of the dots on the life cycle of the monarchs, at least as it pertains to W TN. I am on the e-list for Texas butterfly ranch (Austin) and Monarch butterfly garden (Minneapolis) which helps connect some dots.
This season was stacked up with milkweed plants, mainly as starts going to market from April through August. I saw scant few monarchs all summer, and others noticed same. Then late Aug, early September, they are around! The last of the egg laying in MN, and from this forum we have Apple and Licenter, then a friend in Nashville (middle TN), and my yard. This wave would be the last, and butterflies hatching born to fly. I was disappointed not to notice any earlier, as some laying eggs, hatching etc around Austin in spring should be coming this way, though most going north through the plains.
There seems to be a bit of overlap of the last egg layers (fertilized females) and those passing though (not fertilized), and now the adults seen are using the yard as a pit stop.