As the weather continues to warm, the activity in nature picks up the pace as well.

According to Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz Migrant monarch butterflies are trickling through Iowa and laying eggs along the way. Other butterflies to watch for are meadow fritillary, cabbage white, question mark, red admiral, tiger swallowtail, spring azure, and mourning cloak. Mertz added that May is a great month for butterflies.

She tells KNiA/KRLS News about other animals this month, “Everything is coming alive under the water and everything is coming alive coming from the water to the sky.”

The month of May included a full moon called the Flower Moon, World Migratory Bird Day and National Endangered Species Day.