Monarch!

We had a sighting of an unusual traveler in our area. This past week, Tom and I spotted a Monarch butterfly in our garden. These beautiful butterflies, though widely distributed in the eastern US, are fairly uncommon in this area. It has been many years since I've seen one. Their scarcity here is partially due to their dependence on milkweed as a food source.

Most farmers try to eliminate milkweed because it is toxic to livestock. In fact, it is toxic to pretty much everything- except Monarch butterflies, for whom it is nature's perfect food (you know, like pizza). But because these butterflies are so dependant on milkweed, eliminating it also eliminates the butterflies. An important role that Monarchs may play is that of an "indicator" species in the environment. Monarchs show strong sensitivity to the pollen of genetically modified (Bt) corn, demonstrating that there are, indeed, potential environmental consequences to the genetic alteration of food crops.

Another factor in the Monarch's local scarcity is that Nottoway County is somewhat off of their migration route. Monarchs are known for their annual migrations from the northeast to the southwest. So finding them in Southside this time of year is unexpected. They should be heading to Mexico and California. Apparently, this guy or gal has just wandered a little off course.

But sighting this pretty creature really brightened our morning. It made me rethink our plans to spray the small milkweed patch in the front pasture. Maybe we'll just concentrate on the Johnson grass, an invasive species that will take over the world one of these days (assuming that kudzu doesn't do it, first). I am sure that Johnson grass has at least one redeeming value... somewhere. I have yet to find it. At the moment, it is the only grass that thrives under drought conditions in this area and it is outcompeting even the fescue. If we don't spray it, it will end up in our neighbors' fields, too, which will make them cranky.

Heirloom Tomato Report: To-date, the "egg yolk" variety has outperformed every other. These cherry-sized, yellow tomatoes are both prolific and low acid. They are drought-resistant and nothing seems to faze them. This one is a keeper! The "cream sausage" ivory variety is delicious, crisp and sweet, and also low acid. They are small and shaped like Romas and make great snacking tomatoes. We've had to water them a lot to combat blossom end rot, but it was a terrible year for tomatoes and we had the same problem with the normally-dependable Romas. This one was my taste-wise favorite and another keeper. The "coer de boef" are round, pink tomatoes of medium acidity. They are sturdy and fairly drought resistant, but not as prolific and have a tough skin that I don't care for as much. We are still waiting for the "homestead" and "Arkansas traveler" to ripen. We'll keep you posted on these, as well as the "mystery" variety that I planted and can't remember the name of. Next year, we'll try a few more out of the billions of seeds that we still have.

Monarch Photo: Paul B. Southerland, who was apparently much quicker than I was. Photo posted to Monarchwatch.com