Just over a year ago I wrote about my experience of spotting Cardinal Flowers in bloom in the Cedar/Ash wetlands that border the western edge of our largest hay field. I had noticed the stunning red “flags” in the woods as I finished baling our second cutting of hay. This year there are none to be found. However, I was still to be visually rewarded as I cut the outside rounds of hay for the second time. Due to the super-abundance of rain the hay has grown very well, but I had been limited by the rain as to when I could start cutting the hay. One of the results of the delay is that the alfalfa was in full bloom. Nutritionally it means that the hay is past its peak as food for the sheep. Yet it also means that the blossoms’ nectar is a nutritional treat for butterflies.
This year seems to have been either feast or famine for the native butterflies. Swallowtails of any sort have been few in number. We usually plant extra parsley and dill as food for their caterpillars. The only thing that has touched the parsley all summer was a young cottontail rabbit, who quickly reminded me to set up the little electric fence that surrounds the garden.
Red Admiral on Goldenrod
On the other hand, the Red Admirals have done splendidly. In early summer it was difficult to find any stinging nettle that was not nearly defoliated by masses of their caterpillars. The adults have been with us through out the summer. The Variegated Fritillaries have also done well of late.
Variegated Fritillary on Alfalfa blossoms
However, the most spectacular perform of the summer has to go to the Monarchs. They were noticeable by their earlier than normal arrival this spring. The Milkweed (the primary host for their larva) also thrived. It was difficult to not find a Milkweed without at least one caterpillar.
I was not, however, expecting the explosion of adult Monarchs that I witnessed over the last week. As I cut the alfalfa this last week I was accompanied by a multitude of Monarchs feeding on the blossoms. The western edge of the hay field is bordered by a narrow strip of Goldenrod up against the Ash woodlands. As I drove by with the tractor I would disturb clouds of Monarchs who were on the Goldenrod blossoms. After I finished with the cutting I took a walk along the edge of both the uncut hay and the Goldenrod strip just to watch the show.
I began to count the Monarchs. There was at least one butterfly (and often many more) for every pace I took along the Goldenrod. The strip of Goldenrod is only about 6 to 10 feet wide, but it runs almost a quarter mile. Simple mathematics produced at least 400 Monarchs in that narrow golden patch! 
Turning 180 degrees toward the nearly 35 acres of blooming alfalfa, produced equally astounding numbers. In the 27 years that we have owned the farm I have never seen such breathtaking numbers of Monarchs. They have remained with us for the last few days. It is as if they are stocking up on nutrition in preparation for their flight to the mountains of Mexico. The prevailing winds have been out of the south and have been strong enough to limit any successful butterfly flight in that direction. I keep expecting that when the winds die down or switch to the north that they will all be gone. In the meantime it is such a wonderful, visual treat to have thousands of the orange and black butterflies as part of the farm.
At least six Monarchs in a small space!
When they do leave we wish them a safe journey and look forward to their return next spring.
From a farming standpoint, the warmth and moisture has presented us with the ultimate challenge of trying to cut and bale quality hay for the sheep for this winter. We have only miss-guessed once and had newly cut hay heavily rained on. Luckily it was not too much hay. Nonetheless it baled into about 65 bales of nutritionless bedding instead of lush, green hay. We usually need three straight days of dry weather to get the hay cut, cured and baled (although we have managed a few successful two day “windows”). Our greatest problem has been getting Mother Nature to allow us those three straight days with any frequency. We have been cautious and have not had the cut hay rained on too much, but our caution has slowed the entire process down excessively. Some of our caution has also been based upon the fields often being too wet to support our tractors and equipment without leaving significant ruts across the field.
The sheep are belly-deep in lush green pasture while just beyond the fence are some of our hay wagons partially full of hay in the main hay field with yet more hay to be cut.
Inland in the woods, just a few feet from the shoreline is further testimony to how damp it has been. Everywhere seems to be mushroom heaven.
If we cannot be outside working at least there things to be done with wool. Gretchen’s naturally hand-dyed yarn does eventually find its way into finished products. The warp of the nearly complete shawl is a mix of natural white and gray yarn dyed with mullein leaves, buckthorn berries, and eucalyptus leaves. The weft is undyed white. Of course, it is a given that all the yarn is made from the wool of our sheep.
We continue to slog onward. Perhaps when I get around to returning to the Ewe Turn we may even be done with haying!
(Somehow they seem smaller when driving by on a tractor and concentrating on cutting hay!) Close by we found another more realistic candidate. None of these trees have been trimmed to grow lush and thick. At this location they are also on the north side of the woods so they receive less sunlight and are a bit scrawnier.
Once home we realized that whatever the tree lacks in elegance it will make up for it with its own personality. Because it is from our own woods it is also a part of us. With its trip home with us the tree brought with it special memories of a hike through deep snow on a crisp winter’s day. A day later and another snow storm has completely covered our tracks across the field. The tree and its memories will help make Christmas a special time for us.
