Latest
News: Migration Peaks in Texas and First Monarchs Finish
Migration!
What a week! Just as the migration is coming to a peak in Texas the very
first monarchs have been reported from the wintering sites in Mexico. Here
are this week's migration highlights, from south to north:
From
the Monarch's Winter Home in Mexico:
Only a few hours after Estela Romero wrote to say that no monarchs had
been sighted she wrote back with this exciting news:
Oct.
15: Angangueo, Michoacan (20 N, -100 W)
"A customer just came into the store. She is a woman we know very
well from La Salud and, without me asking her anything, she told me
that a 'bunch' of butterflies flew past yesterday, Wednesday, October
15 at about 16:00 hrs. She will come again on Saturday. I asked her
to watch out and tell me in detail if she sees any more passing by."
Estela Romero
lives in Angangueo, Michoacan. Their town sits in the mountains near two
of the monarch's twelve major wintering sites. Estela and her family operate
a small store in Angangueo. La Salud is a nearby community that's located
immediately beside the El Rosario sanctuary, traditionally the largest
wintering site of all.
From
Central Mexico:
Noami Suss lives only 60 miles north of the monarch overwintering region.
When she saw monarchs on Sunday she predicted they would reach their final
destination soon:
Oct.
12: Tequisquiapan, Queretaro (21 N,-100 W)
"We saw quite a few monarchs today in Tequisquiapan, about 10 monarchs
per hour from 1PM to 4 PM. All of the butterflies I was able to get
close to were females and they were laying eggs on the milkweed plants
in my garden. Since we are very close to the reserves, I expect in two
to three days you should be getting reports of them from there."
In Texas:
The south wind blew during most of the
past week and stalled the migration. The
roost map seems to show monarchs bunching up and waiting for the north
wind. Notice how little the migration's leading
edge advanced. Then, immediately
after the wind shifted on Wednesday afternoon,
monarchs took flight and streamed across the sky. From what we can gather,
they were traveling in large numbers across the Texas sky in a huge migration
that spanned at least
300 miles from Dallas/Ft. Worth to San Antonio!
Eye witness Mitch Heindel
describes what he saw:
October
15: Utopia, Texas (30N, -100W)
"There were 200-600 per minute for about 2 hours, with some still
passing southwest at 7 p.m., when it was almost dark. At minimum there
were 20,000 that passed over in 3 hours, probably many more. I don't
know how wide the river was, I could see them a half mile on either
side of me. It was very likely many many more, and the number estimated
I feel is a conservative minimum. WOW !!" (Courtesy of Mike Quinn,
Texas Parks and Wildlife.)
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This
Week's Highlights
First
Monarchs Have Finished the Migration!
The first monarchs were sighted at the
monarch's winter home in Mexico on October 15th! >>
The
monarchs were reported to Estela Romero. Here is Estela (right)
and her mother at the family's store in Angangueo. >>
Photo
courtesy of Noami Suss
Sixty
Miles from the Finish!
This monarch (and others) were spotted
only 60 miles from the finish line on October 12th in Tequisquiapan, Querataro!
>>
Photo
courtesy of Terry Young
Peak
Migration in Texas
With 700 miles left to fly, these monarchs were resting at a roost in
Stonewall, Texas on October 15th. >>
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Monarch
Butterfly Migration Updates Will be Posted on THURSDAYS: Aug. 28, Sep.
4, 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6...or until the monarchs reach
Mexico!
The
Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on October 23, 2008.
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