The monarchs have reached the U.S. border! As you receive reports over the coming weeks, pay careful attention to the weather and climate where the monarchs have appeared. Clip daily weather maps from your newspaper so you can go back and try to answer these questions when the sightings arrive: What are the average daily temperatures where the monarchs have been found? What was the wind direction and speed prior to the sighting?
Here are the locations to plot on your migration map:
Date Place
March 10 Brownsville, Texas March 12 Austin, Texas March 15 Houston, Texas March 18 Seabrook, Texas
OBSERVERS' COMMENTS
From AUSTIN, TEXAS:
"Fifty monarchs were sighted near the Santa Anna Wildlife Refuge along the lower Rio Grande Valley on March 10th (near Brownsville, Texas). On March 12, six were travelling north on strong south winds over the prairie region east of Austin. Over the weekend of March 18th and 19th small numbers (groups of 1-2 butterflies) were found in the prairie region of central Texas. Groups of up to six were found along the Gulf Coast. It's still hard to find milkweed, except the garden varieties. One monarch chrysalis was found near Austin, suggesting that a few may have wintered there." Dr. Bill Calvert, Austin, Texas
From HOUSTON, TEXAS:
"March 15, 1995, we observed Monarchs. We live close to Houston, Tx. We are students at First Colony Middle School, Sugar Land, Texas. We only saw two." naomib@tenet.edu
From SEABROOK, TEXAS
"I returned to my home just north of Seabrook, Texas on Galveston Bay yesterday morning, and on the last legs of the drive up to the house I encountered half a dozen monarch butterflies flitting from place to place. I don't know if these were the first to arrive, but they were the first that I had spotted.
"Spring is definitely coming to Texas. Most all of the trees (except the pecans, which are always the last) are leafed out. The famous Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are just beginning to put on flowers out in the rolling country between Houston and Austin. Here on the Bay the wildflowers are abundant. Coreposis has been bloom for over a month, the dayflower is everywhere, spider lilies are in full bloom, the black locust trees have started with their beautiful, creamy flowers. We have had three mild winters in a row, and the black-eyed susan in blooming! This is normally a fall blooming plant here.
"Last week I was buzzed by a ruby throated hummingbird near my garden. Any day now the warblers and orioles should be coming in. I'm fortunate in living here on the bay just off the gulf of Mexico. The little migrators hit here and often slow for a bit of a rest, so we get a good look at them". Donald Perkins Armadillo--The Texas Studies Gopher dperkins@tenet.edu and ttp://chico.rice.edu/armadillo
MONARCH MIGRATION SHORT-CUT?
"My name is Gary Noel Ross and I am a butterfly scientist with a special interest in migratory monarchs in my home state of Louisiana. Over the past few years I have been able to document that many monarchs shortcut their routes to and from Mexico by crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Today, March 20th, is the time when I become especially excited since monarchs returning from Mexico are do to arrive at any moment.
"Since this past winter was very mild with only an occasional frost, some monarchs did not travel from our area but remained. These could be seen on warm days as they visited flowers that normally would have been burned back due to sub-freezing temperatures. In fact, just this past weekend I observed two monarchs visiting my lantana patch. And although I continue to have milkweed plants in leaf within my garden, the butterflies did not seem interested in ovipositing (both, by the way, were females).
"Any day now I expect to see large numbers of monarchs in my area and, based on past observations, I know my milkweed plants will be used extensively by the female butterflies as they prepare for their next generation. I will report on the dates of arrival in a later news item."
If you would like to read more about Dr. Ross' discovery of monarchs crossing the Gulf of Mexico during migration see Audubon magazine (Jan./Feb., 1993 issue, page 16) or Natural History (Sept., 1993, page 3).
Dr. Ross just published a new book that would make a great addition to any school library. It's called, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Butterflies" and is available from: Gary Noel Ross, 6095 Stratford Avenue, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70808. (504)927-8179.
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) After reading today's comments from Dr. Gary Ross, how do you explain the monarch sightings that were reported from Florida (on February 16) and Texas (on February 23)?
2) Why does the finding of a chrysalis on the weekend of March 18th suggest there were monarchs wintering in the Austin area?
Send your answers to: jnorth@informns.k12.mn.us
Journey North 125 North First Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Phone: (612)339-6959