Observer #1
"I saw two monarchs, an orange and black monarch and a yellow and black monarch. Here is a picture of the yellow and black monarch."
- Did observer #1 see a monarch? Maybe one?
- Should it be on the migration map? No
- Reasons for my decision: The observer says he saw two monarchs. There is no such thing as a "yellow and black" monarch and the picture shows that he saw a swallowtail butterfly, not a monarch. Because of this mistake, I doubt this observer can identify monarchs accurately. I would not put the sighting of the "orange and black" monarch on the map either.
Observer #2
"I sighted an adult monarch on April 7th in Winnipeg, Manitoba."
- Did observer #2 see a monarch? No
- Should it be on the migration map? No
- Reasons for my decision: April 7th is too early to see a monarch in Manitoba. As the map shows, the leading edge of the migration is only in Oklahoma at the time.
Observer #3
"I observed a massive swarm of Monarchs flying in a northwest direction. It lasted approximately 30-40 minutes. They had to be in the thousands — they were as far as the eye could see. It was a truly wonderful sight."
- Did observer #3 see monarchs? No
- Should they be on the migration map? No
- Reasons for my decision: There are very few monarch butterflies in the spring so a 'swarm' of monarchs tells me that the person is mistaken. (I also know that a different species, the painted lady butterfly, migrates in large numbers in the springtime in California the way this observer describes.)
Observer #4
"I saw a baby monarch."
- Did observer #4 see a monarch? No
- Should it be on the migration map? No
- Reasons for my decision: There is no such thing as a "baby" butterfly. Adult butterflies are full grown when they emerge from the chrysalsis. They do not grow as butterflies. This person probably saw a different species of butterfly that is smaller than monarchs.