It was the first rain that the Winchester area had seen in 23 days.

But last Wednesday, Philip Haines was hoping that the sky would clear.

Inside a storage shed on his Frederick County farm, Haines had 13 monarch butterflies that were ready to be released.

They had emerged from their chrysalis forms 24 hours earlier, and if he waited too much longer, he worried they might not make it.

"They can't stay in here forever," he said. "And I'm not really sure how long they can go without having a little bit of outdoor moisture and nutrients and stuff."

Haines would set eight butterflies free that day, bringing the total number of monarchs he's raised and released so far this year into the 80s.

Two days later, he'd break 100. Today, the count stands at 120.

Monarch populations have been dec

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