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Monarch Migration Update: October 18, 2000

Today's Report Includes:

Las Primeras Monarcas Han Llegados!
The exciting news we've all been waiting for just arrived from Angangueo, Michoacan: The students in the schools surrounding the sanctuaries are beginning to see the first monarchs!

"Los ninos gritan 'ahi van mariposas!' y los demos las cuentan," wrote teacher Senor Gilberto Salazar of Escuela Pedro Ascencio. Just a mile up the road sits Escuela Benito Juarez. The school is nestled on the mountain just beneath the Sierra Chincua sanctuary. "El miercoles estaban jugando futbol y vieron una mariposa!" they reported. The town of Angangueo is in the valley below, and Escuela Issac Arriaga is located beside the town square. According to students there, the first monarchs appeared in town last week, apparently looking for a needed drink of water after their long journey: "Muchas mariposas pasan por donde ahi arroyos y rios," they observed.

Every day for the past 4 weeks, several hundred students in the sanctuary region have been watching for the monarchs. We expect to have data from the students for the next few weeks, so you can monitor the pace of the monarchs' arrival. Here is the data sheet that was faxed to Journey North this week:

Did the Monarchs Beat Your Estimate?
Look at the students' data from last week, and determine the date that the first monarchs arrived. Then go back and look at your predicted date (Challenge Question #2) and answer...

Challenge Question #13
"What date would you say the first monarchs were sighted in the sanctuary region this year? (Explain how you determined the date.) Then tell us how this date compared to your predictions."

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

Northern Mexican States Report More Monarchs
Writing from Saltillo, Coahuila, Senora Rocio Trevino of Correo Real reports that more monarchs are on their way:

19 octubre
"Desde el dia 12 de octubre las mariposas se hicieron mas notables desde Monclova hasta Saltillo. Esta semana he podido contar un promedio de 40/minuto entre 9 y 11 de la manana. Tambien de Monterrey se han visto aunque sigue lloviendo. Desde el dia 15 de octubre se estan reportando por la carretera 57 ya en el estado de San Luis Potosi y Guanajuato."
Migration Now Pouring Through Texas
Just as Dr. Calvert predicted, the migration picked up again in Texas last week immediately after the cold weather and rain passed. He has monitored migration in Texas for years and was surprised by this year's pattern: "This fall the migration was clearly split into 2 groups. An EARLY group came through in the western portion of flyway during the last week of September. And a LATE group is moving through now. This is about 2 weeks later than is typical for this part of the flyway (10/19 vs. 10/6). Clearly the cold front stopped them, probably for as long as a week, this would account for some of the delay. What's really remarkable is that the frost weed seems to be recovering from drought so rapidly. Within less than 2 weeks after the big dose of rain, it has gone into bud--and in some cases has begun to flower already."

10/18/00 San Antonio, TX (29.46 N, -98.52 W)
"Hundreds of monarchs cruising over Texas Military Institute campus, Northern Bexar County, Texas. Some so high they were tiny dots...some landing to nectar in the butterfly garden...and hundreds in between. Students netted 50-60 for vital statistics studies. We are keeping them in a large outdoor cage over flowers in the butterfly garden and some inside in smaller cages until we finish our data collecting. Then we will conduct directional studies as we release them." (mbkenned@aol.com)

10/16/00 Early, TX (31.60 N, -99.01 W)
"Kindergarten teachers and students have been sighting monarchs over the past several days. One teacher reported spotting 8 - 10 in our butterfly garden. One of my students told the class that she saw lots and lots of monarchs in her grandmother's garden on Saturday."
Early Primary School Early ISD (dawn.turner@netxv.net)
Monarch Flurries in Florida Last Week
In the wake of the cold, arctic air mass that we discussed last week, a sudden blizzard of monarchs seems to have moved into Florida. These were the first observations of strong migration there this season. And for some people, the first migration they've ever seen:

10/18/00 Brooksville, FL (28.59 N, -82.35 W)
"Thousands of monarch butterflies the past two days were flying in from the north heading south. We have never seen the monarch migration, it is breath taking." (jade11@gateway.net )

10/11/00 Pensacola, FL (30.42N, -87.22 W)
"Today, we drove through thousands of monarchs between Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Perdido Key, Florida, which is about a twenty mile ride. The road is approximately 1/8 of a mile from the Gulf of Mexico and runs parallel the entire distance. The strong winds last week, from the north, delivered them to the Gulf Coast. They must have arrived at night because we didn't see a single monarch during the day. Since that time we have seen almost no butterflies, which tells us they took advantage of the north wind and had a safe journey across the Gulf." (davis3453@aol.com)
Where Do the Monarchs Go From Here?
Wait, do you agree with that analysis? Do you think the monarchs safely crossed the Gulf of Mexico? Where do you think they were going and/or "intending" to go? With all the discussion of monarchs migrating to Mexico, are we making any assumptions we should reconsider?

Let's take a closer look at the Florida sightings, because they raise some good questions. Find the 3 places below on your map. (A road atlas might be helpful.) As a class, discuss whether you think monarchs in these 3 regions of Florida are on their way to the sanctuaries in Mexico (19N, -100W). Keep an open mind--and be sure to consider all of the possibilities:

Challenge Question #14
"Do you think the monarchs sighted in these 3 regions of Florida are on their way to the sanctuaries in Mexico (19N, -100W)?"

  • Boca Raton, FL (26.35 N, -80.09 W)
  • Brooksville, FL (28.59 N, -82.35 W)
  • Pensacola, FL (30.42N, -87.22 W)

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

Note: Monarch Migration Updates Changed to FRIDAYS
We apologize for the delay in posting this week's migration update. Due to festivities surrounding the Symbolic Monarch Migration both this week and next week, we must shift the remaining monarch migration updates to Fridays.
How to Respond to Today's Monarch Challenge Questions:

IMPORTANT: Please answer ONLY ONE question in each e-mail message!

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-monarch@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of each message write: Challenge Question #13 (or #14)
3. In the body of the message, answer ONE of the questions above.

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on Friday, October 27, 2000.

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