Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: September 27, 2001 Today's Report Includes: Highlights Along the Migration Trail Monarchs Meet Spiders Along the Way How High Do Monarchs Fly? Challenge Questions #8 and #9 Discussion of Challenge Question #4: Changing Ecological Niche Discussion of Challenge Question #5:Mariposas Means... Symbolic Monarch Migration: Please Include Your Picture! Highlights From Along the Migration Trail Link to This Week's Migration Data (for classroom mapping). All last week, waves of monarchs were reported from Missouri and Kansas. As today's comments show, the migration is now moving across the skies of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and into Texas. Meanwhile in the East, Dr. Brower reported a "butterfly bonanza" in Virginia. "My impression is that large numbers came through on the cold front last week and have been in a holding pattern while nectaring heavily." After the passage of another cold front they moved on, their numbers dropping to only a tenth what they were. Here are comments from observers: The 2nd Grade class at Jenks Southeast Elementary in Jenks, Oklahoma, saw 40 monarchs in 20 minutes yesterday morning, and 73 in 20 minutes in the afternoon! Also yesterday while on the school playground at Oologah Elementary School in Oologah, Oklahoma, Mrs. Helvick's first grade class counted 106 monarch butterflies flying south from 12:10 - 1:00 p.m. About 200 monarchs were at overnight roost in Chelsea, OK on Monday the 24th. "Today was the first large increase in monarchs," said Mr. Henderson. "Right now, in my Monarch Sleeping Tree there about 3,000 Monarchs curled up for the night. They have not reached peak, because when they do we see about 10,000 an hour!" said Diane Mcgowen of Plainview Elementary in Ardmore, OK on Sunday, September 23rd. The same evening in Hammon, OK, "Thousands of Monarchs were roosting in Elm trees this evening. This is the first migration noticed in this area this year," said Ms. Christian of Hammon Elementary. Writing from Winters, Texas on Tuesday, the 25th: "Large number (thousands!) of monarchs arrived in town this evening. There is also a cold front moving through." On Wednesday, Sept. 26th, 220 monarchs were sighted in south Abilene, Texas by Nick, a second grade student at Austin Elementary. "There have been many sightings all over the city. We had a cold front hit Abilene Sat. Sept. 22nd," his teacher Ms. Perry reports. Far to the east on the same day, a wave of monarchs passed over Greer, South Carolina, according to 6th grade homeschool student Lauren Smith. "We went on a short drive around this noon and kept seeing many monarchs. So we went back home and my Mom sat in our backyard and watched dozens of monarchs fly overhead. She counted them all and came up with 105 monarchs in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. I was with her and it was fascinating. The monarchs went in waves, sometimes the rate being at least 3 a minute and other times 1 a minute. The wind was great and almost every monarch was heading west or slightly southwest." Writing from Riner, Virginia, Auburn Middle School reports, "Over the weekend, 85 sixth graders reported seeing 471 monarchs. Large numbers were seen at butterfly bushes." The Carman-Hauri family reported dozens of monarchs enjoying the golden rod and iron weed at Max Patch, North Carolina, on Sunday, September 23rd. They're pictured here while hiking up to the summit of Max Patch, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. Monarchs Meet Spiders Along the Way In an ecosystem, the flow of energy, the recycling of nutrients, and the interaction between species are all linked together, and sometimes in surprising ways! Keep a list this year of all the different plant and animal species with which monarchs interact. For each species, note whether the interaction affects monarchs in a positive or negative way. Here's perhaps an unexpected invertebrate for the top of your list, thanks to Elizabeth Brown of Kansas City, Missouri: "Something happened today that I had not noticed before, a flying 'hazard' to the butterflies. There is a type of spider that spins a long silken thread that it casts out into the air so it can 'ride' the winds. My fences, yard, trees and even the power lines were glittering with these fine silken threads like Christmas tinsel, glowing in the late afternoon sunshine! It was then, while I was counting the Monarchs going over, that I noticed at least 5 butterflies had some of these threads attached to their bodies. They had flown into the silk lines that were floating in the air and now some threads were trailing along behind them!" We asked spider expert Dr. Linda Rayor of Cornell University what happens to butterflies caught in spider webs. Would a spider eat a monarch? "My guess is that the silk was from orb weavers that were either attempting to balloon (in which case they were small, and attempting to disperse) or more likely putting out strands of silk to start an orb web. The silk is released into the wind, then as it entangles on something the spider gingerly walks over on it, attaches it carefully, adds more lines, and then uses it as a supporting frameline for her orb. "In the greenhouse where we rear monarchs I often get orb weavers, particularly the primarily nocturnally active Araneus diadematus. We have monarch escapes, and the spiders do not have the slightest problem catching them. Mostly, they do seem to get eaten by the spiders." Incidentally, Dr. Rayor is one of the Cornell University investigators whose May, 1999, publication first raised questions about the possible link between Bt corn and monarch larvae mortality. You can read about her work and research interests at Cornell University. How High Do Monarchs Fly? Monarchs are easier to see when clouds are in the background How high do monarch butterflies fly during fall migration? Do they go as high as the clouds? Higher than the naked eye can see? And why do they fly at such high altitudes? We posed these questions to Dr. Bill Calvert, who's now watching the big skies of Texas for one of the most spectacular migrations in years: How High Do Monarchs Fly? Contributed by Dr. Bill Calvert Read Dr. Calvert's comments, then answer these questions: Challenge Question #8: "If glider pilots have seen monarchs flying 11,000 feet in the air, how high is that in miles? In kilometers?" Challenge Question #9: "At what distance do monarchs disappear from view? Try the experiment Dr. Calvert suggests and send us your results!" (To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.) Discussion of Challenge Question #4 Challenge Question #4 asked you to, "Define the term 'niche.' Then describe how a field mouse is like a monarch caterpillar, and a hummingbird is like an adult monarch." In the science of ecology, the word "niche" is defined as: "The role an organism plays in a community. How it interacts with the environment and other organisms." More simply put, an organism's habitat is its home, and its niche is its job. Dr. Brower says that the monarch "changes its ecological niche entirely" when it transforms from a caterpillar to an adult butterfly. Students from South Shades Crest Elementary in Birmingham, Alabama and Shannon, a 5th grader in Greensboro, North Carolina, took a close look at the "jobs" of these organisms and found: Similarities between a mouse and a monarch caterpillar: Both eat plants (vegetation) Both are always hungry and always eating Both grow fast and go to the bathroom a lot Similarities between a hummingbird and an adult monarch butterfly: Both eat nectar Both drink nectar with a long beak or proboscis Both are colorful They both fly Fifth generation monarchs migrate south like the hummingbirds Here Dr. Brower contrasts the monarch's ecological niche as a caterpillar and as an adult butterfly: "As a caterpillar, the monarch is a relatively sedentary, herbaceous, leaf-eating machine that's storing energy and building up biomass. As an adult it's a highly mobile, nectivorous, flower-orienting organism. The ecological function of the adult butterfly is to disperse, flying around and laying eggs (or in the case of males, mating with females who do). Just think: In the spring a female returning from Mexico may spread her eggs across 1,000 miles! In contrast, a caterpillar may spend its entire time in the space of a few meters, interacting only with its immediate surroundings." Discussion of Challenge Question #5 Congratulations to Ashley, Gareth, and Jonathon from Miss Bailey's Third Grade Class in Vero Beach, FL who figured out that "mariposa" means butterfly in Spanish. "So Mariposa Elementary is a great name for a school where the students study butterflies!" they agreed. Symbolic Migration: Please Include Your Picture! Only 9 days remain before the October 5th postmark deadline. Here are a few of the questions people have asked recently: Q. "May we glue one small student photo on one wing of each monarch?!" A. Yes, please do!! Mexican students love to see pictures of the children who made their butterflies. In past years, we've received butterflies with photos for faces. Q. "Is it OK to cut out our butterflies or do you want full piece of paper?" A. Yes again! Please cut your butterflies so they're shaped like real butterflies. These make a more festive display, and are also lighter and easier to pack. Q. "May we laminate our Ambassador Monarchs?" A. Oh please don't! Try to minimize your use of resources, and use recycled/recyclable materials whenever possible. 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 #8 (or #9) 3. In the body of the message, answer ONE of the questions above. The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on October 4, 2001. Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. 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