I have the asters in back that are just now beginning to show color. They have a long way to go. I have other delights in the garden for flying insects. Mostly bumblebees this year, very few honeybees as in previous years.

Most of those pollinators are more interested in things other than George's face. You really gotta irritate them before they respond in a negative way.

Jim

In my experience, one never know when bugs will bite/sting.
We have a hose reel attached to the fence. It's been there for umpteen years.
One year when I reached for the handle to pull the hose in, I was stung by wasps. The handle was hollow, about 1/2 " in diameter and the darn wasps had built a nest in there and got mad enough to sting me several times.
I put a piece of duct tape over the handle and that problem was solved.
When in nature, even in our own garden, one never knows what will happen.

I would have absolutely no problem counting the monarchs this year, so far I have seen one and my milkweed has not visitors, even the parsley has not lost a single leaf.

I would be delighted to count Monarchs or even swallowtails. The drought has certainly impacted the butterfly and the dragonfly population.