Monarch
Butterfly Migration Update: May 19, 2006 |
Today's
Report Includes:
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This
Week's Migration Maps and Data |
Use
today's data to make your own map, or print and analyze our map:
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News
from the Migration Trail |
Monarchs have arrived
at 45 degrees N! Sightings are still at a low, but this week brings
a handful more. Iowa is now on the map. Some monarchs reported
in good shape, others are faded from long journeys north. Will
the monarchs flood northward in the next two weeks? Will the milkweed
be ready for the females to lay their eggs? Come back next week
for a full report. |
Some
highlights of the week:
-
Monarchs now sighted above 45 N. Find Door Peninsula, WI where
2 sighting reports came in this week. Will the winds over
Lake Michigan send these monarchs into the MI Upper Peninsula
next?
Baileys Harbor (Door Peninsula), WI 05/15/06:
“ My husband just spotted a female Monarch visiting the Dandelions
in our meadow---the only plant blooming. This is way too early
to have the Monarchs arrive here. There are no milkweed plants
even emerging from the soil. We know, because that's what we
were looking for this afternoon. I did, however, purchase four
Blood-Flower Asclepias curassavica plants and placed them now
in different locations outside. I hope she finds them.”
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Door Peninsula, WI |
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- Each
report we receive is carefully screened so we keep an accurate
representation of the migration. When
this early report
came in from Northfield, MN, we wrote the observer to confirm.
The detailed reply convinced us of the report’s validity.
It also didn’t hurt that the observer has worked with monarchs
since she was a 1-year old and is the daughter of monarch researcher,
Karen Oberhauser!
Northfield, MN 05/16/06:
“ Single monarch of unknown sex flying along side country road.
I am completely sure that the butterfly that I saw was a monarch.
I was on a bike ride, and so didn't have a camera with me to
get a picture. There is milkweed up here in Northfield, and
it has been up for several weeks. The biggest plants are about
a foot tall. The butterfly was too orange to be painted lady,
too big to be a viceroy, and had rounded hind wings instead
of the tailed wings of a swallowtail. I was close enough to
see the black vein patterns and borders. I have done quite
a lot of work with monarchs in my life (my mom studies them
at the U of M) and I'm sure that the butterfly I saw was a
monarch. A fast flying one, but definitely a monarch.”
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Stay Tuned:
The Monarch Migration Continues! |
Other
Journey North migrations are coming to an end, but we track the
monarchs until they've expanded across their entire breeding
range. This normally takes until mid-June.
- Don't
go away! We need your observations.
The
monarchs still have a long way to travel.
The
Monarch's Breeding Range in North America
(Stippled areas show regions of uncertainty.) >> |
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Wanted: Your Monarch and Milkweed Sightings
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Even if monarchs have already been reported from your state or province,
we still want to hear from YOU when you see YOUR first monarch.
The number of sightings reported reflects monarch abundance, so
your observations will continue to be important.
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Click the "owl button" to see maps and report sightings |
Year-End
Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! |
Please
take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our
Year-End Evaluation. The information you provide is critical for
planning new initiatives and for improving Journey North. Also,
as a free program supported by a generous grant from Annenberg Media,
we want to be able to document Journey North's reach, impact and
value. THANK YOU! |
Journey
North
Year End Evaluation
Please
share your thoughts! |
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The
Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 26, 2006 |