New
Jersey Study Shows Slowest Fall Migration in 14 Years
For the 14th year, monarchs are being counted every single day as they
migrate through Cape May, New Jersey. This October 1st, after four weeks
of counting, the average number of monarchs seen per hour of observation
is only 7.41 butterflies.
Here are
the data that have been collected since 1992 as of Week #4 each year:
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/m/MapCapeMayNJ.gif) |
Year |
Monarchs
per Hour |
1992 |
12.95 |
1993 |
67.83 |
1994 |
123.57 |
1995 |
27.22 |
1996 |
58.99 |
Location
of Cape May, NJ
Monarchs concentrate at the tips of peninsulas. They wait for northerly
winds before crossing water. |
1997 |
173.27 |
1998
|
38.95 |
1999 |
181.11 |
2000
|
37.90 |
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/monarch/FallMigrationCapeMay1992_2004_Wk4.gif) |
2001 |
66.44 |
2002 |
45.48 |
2003 |
12.17 |
2004 |
7.41 |
Data courtesy
of Dick Walton, Project Director, The
Monarch Monitoring Project (Cape May Bird Observatory/New Jersey
Audubon), Cape May, NJ.
Try
This!
-
Make
a chart of the migration rate each year. (Or print and analyze our
chart above.)
-
Which
year was the migration rate the highest? The lowest?
-
Write
the years in order, from highest to lowest migration rate.
-
What
is the average migration rate?
-
How
does this year’s migration rate compare to the average?
National Math Standards
- Understand
numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers,
and number systems.
- Create
and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical
ideas.
- Select
and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data.
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