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Monarch Migration Through Texas As of March 31, 1998 Monarchs have been in migration northward from their Mexican overwintering grounds since at least the beginning of March. March 15 -17th, much tattered and worn monarchs were seen in the extreme southern part of Texas - the Rio Grande Valley. Since then, with only an exception or two reported below, it has been a ho-hum year for the migration here. The Texas Coast Not too much has been reported from the Texas Coast this spring. A few butterflies were seen in Port Lavaca area between Houston and Corpus Christi. But stations that have reported many Monarchs in past years, such as Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Matagorda Island, report very few this year. Sea Rim State Park on the border with Louisiana, which has witnessed hundreds passing through some springs, also reports very few this spring. Area Inland With a few exceptions, inland areas of Texas are reporting few Monarchs. In the west-central Texas, Abilene has seen a few. Some have been seen west of Austin at Wimberley and Dripping Springs. Eggs have been spotted on Asclepias asperula, the staghorn milkweed in fields near Austin. On the other side of the central prairies, a few have been reported from Bryan. Very surprisingly, the highest numbers have been reported from the northern parts of the state. Mickey Keener saw over 100 in the Piney Woods area on Saturday the 28th of March near Longview, Texas not too far from Louisiana and Arkansas. That same day Dale Clark reported over 30 from the Dallas area. Both mentioned that high south winds have accompanied the monarchs' northward trek. Both have planted milkweeds abounding in their gardens. It is likely that the milkweeds played a role in concentrating the monarchs. Bill Calvert Austin, TX