Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: October 15, 2004

• Highlights From the Migration Trail
• Spectacular Migration in Texas Last Week
• Mexico Bound? All Fall Flights Cross Texas
• Noticias del avance de la migración en México
• The United States of Mexico: Challenge Question #10
• Watching and Waiting at the Over-wintering Sanctuaries
• New Jersey Students Observe Migration for One Full Month
• How High in Chickasee, OK? Discussion of CQ #9

Sightings of hundreds of monarchs per hour were suddenly seen in several places. Nearly all of these "triple digit" observations originate in the heart of the flyway, notes Mike Quinn of Texas Parks & Wildlife and Texas Monarch Watch. (See map of fall flyways through Texas below.)

On Sunday, a river of Monarchs passed overhead in Utopia, Texas. "Anywhere you looked you saw a hundred as fast as you could count them," exclaimed Mitch Heindel. "The passage lasted probably 5 hours, with a 2-3 hour peak. It was at least a couple of kilometers wide with, therefore, thousands per hour. I wouldn't be surprised if there were 100,000 that passed."

• Here's the first-hand account of the spectacular event he witnessed:

ALL Migration Sightings	Peak Migration Sightings	Sightings of Overnight Roosts

Mexico Bound? All Flights Cross Through Texas
Monarchs moving down from northern latitudes are all bound for Texas. Texas is the only state on the migration pathway through which all monarchs must pass. In Texas, the migration narrows and becomes more concentrated as it enters Mexico.

"Before crossing into Mexico, the butterflies move through Texas on a pathway that angles slightly to the southwest," says Dr. Bill Calvert. "It does not move straight south. The center of this central pathway could be considered to move down from Wichita Falls, to Abilene, San Angelo, and then to Del Rio, Texas."

Do you think this week’s migration maps reflect the pathway Dr. Calvert describes in Texas?
This fall's migration sightings reported from Texas	Traditional fall migration pathways through Texas
Map by Journey North	Courtesy of Texas Monarch Watch

"At the latitude of the southern tip of Texas, the monarchs' flight path is only about 8% as wide as it was when they started from their breeding grounds in the north," Dr. Calvert added. In other words, the monarchs are 12 times more concentrated as they move through Texas. The state is like a funnel through which the monarchs pour. No wonder the migration can be so spectacular there!

"Hoy por la mañana empezamos a ver la llegada de las monarcas a nuestro país. Sin necesidad de pasaporte cruzaron el río Bravo volando a diferentes alturas," said Profesora Irma Gutiérrez de Herrera of Ciuda Acuña in the state of Coahuila on Saturday morning.

"Today in the morning we began to see the arrival of the monarchs in our country. Without need of a passport, they crossed the Rio Bravo flying at different heights."

Special thanks to Rocío Treviño for forwarding this exciting news! Her education program, "Correo Real," tracks the migration in Mexico. Here are more reports from her observers in northern Mexico--and a chance for you to use your Spanish:

• Noticias del avance de la migración en México
• Where were hundreds of monarchs seen, flying southeast with the help of the north wind?
• When the cool north wind began to blow, who watched the monarchs increase to eight to ten per minute?

Challenge Question #10
"How many Mexican states are there? Through which states do you think the monarchs will travel?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Now, why do you suppose the monarchs are going to such a cold place? (We’ll have more about this when we explore the monarch’s winter habitat when Journey North begins next February!)

"Sometimes we are not happy at all to have this weather," says Estela. "We don't have heating systems at home or at work places. Economically, most of the families (maybe none) would be able to afford such expenses as electricity. But in the end, we are so used to living this way. We just joke at it, cheering up each other, since we know we will have sunshine until maybe March, next year!"

• Estimados amigos de Journey North
• Hello friends from Journey North

New Jersey students at Penn Beach Elementary also observe and release monarchs in their butterfly garden.

Teacher Julia Walds describes their procedures. "We are a class of 20 fifth grade students in Pennsville, New Jersey. Weather permitting, we make our ten-minute observations at least three times a week. Our students are divided into groups; butterfly observers, plant maintenance, and scientific illustrators. We rotate on a daily basis. Our observations are taken from our school garden which is an absolutely beautiful garden created with plants that attract wildlife."

• New Jersey Students Observe Migration for One Full Month

According to the data collected by the students:

• Over what period of time did the migration occur in Pennsville, NJ this fall?
• When would you say it was at its peak?
• Over how many days did the fall migration last?

The students have not seen ANY monarchs this week. "Sadly, no monarchs were sighted," they say. "We hope they are safely on their way to Mexico!!"

• Explain why it’s good to collect data even when NO monarchs are seen. What does this information help you say about the migration in Pennsville, NJ? (This is called "negative data.")

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on October 22, 2004.

Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to jn-help@learner.org