Flying
"I counted 100 monarchs per hour travelling in a southwest direction along the Orford bluffs at Clearville Park on the north shore of Lake Erie on Monday. Peak migration in this area usually occurs around Sept 10-15 so I am surprised to see this many monarchs moving through this early in the season."

Resting at Overnight Roosts
"Thousands of butterflies roosting at my parents' farmstead in southern Minnesota on Tuesday night. The farm is now restored prairie (2nd year) with trees surrounded mostly by giant ag fields."

Nectaring
Randy Klauk's city garden in Minneapolis hosted 20 monarchs at once last week. By taking daily counts in his liatris-filled garden he monitors the migration's pace through his backyard.

Pace and Pathways
Notice where roosting behavior began this week. All sites are in the Upper Midwest — Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Roosts contain large concentrations of monarchs. Week by week, watch how the map reveals the pace and main migration pathways to Mexico.

Welcome to School
As students returned to school this week, many found monarchs flying overhead and nectaring in the butterfly gardens the children had planted.

“We’re so glad we are providing a safe place for them!” reported Houlton Elementary in Hudson, Wisconsin.

New Blog: Science of Monarch Butterflies
A blog about monarchs, written by monarch scientists, for people who love monarchs.

Special Feature: Monarch Research CollectionThe Annals of the Entomological Society of America has published a collection of seven research papers based on citizen science with focus on long-term trends in monarchs.