The monarchs' northward migration continues! As you read this week's report, think about the challenge question below. If you think you know the answer, send it to us at:
CHALLENGE QUESTION Many people mention the condition of the butterfly's wings in their report. Why is this so important?
Monarchs Reported This Week:
Date Location March 23 Pine Mountain, Georgia March 24 Gainesville, Florida April 6 Carefree, Arizona April 7 Pine Mountain, Georgia April 8 Riverton, Kansas April 9 Cape May, New Jersey April 9 Raleigh, North Carolina April 9 Lebanon, Missouri April 10 Garland, Texas April 13 Durham, North Carolina April 14 Norman, North Carolina April 16 Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina April 16 Enid, Oklahoma April 16 Hayes, North Carolina
Florida Update from Dr. Lincoln Brower On 24 March 1995, my student Amy Knight and I returned to our north central Floida collecting site ... a pasture with hundreds of sandhill milkweeds (Asclepias humistrata) just sprouting.... We caught, marked, and released 9 monarchs. Since then, we have marked the population daily, and to date have marked about 70 individuals. We will be able to estimate the population size and migration through the area from our data.
There are more monarchs here this spring than in the past 14 springs...I have an uneasy feeling that they may be leaving Mexico earlier than usual, possibly due to thinning of the trees in and around the overwintering sites.
I just returned from the field today (4/13) where I saw 4 marked and 3 unmarked adults. There are all stages of monarchs in the field (about 1500 milkweed plants), from eggs to huge healthy 5th instar larvae and their rapidly ageing parents. We will continue monitoring the population to see if it produces a second generation. New adults should be out in about 1 week.
Lincoln P. Brower Professor of Zoology University of Florida, Gainsville
Monarch News From New Orleans
Dr. Gary Ross, Baton Rouge April 14 I have my FINAL migrating monarch to report, flying down the main street of Baton Rouge, Louisiana during a press conference were were holding for Earth Day!
No doubt about it, the migration has mostly past. It was strong for 2 weeks but in the past week has slowed noticeably. Those we do see are definitely migrants. Their wings are in very bad condition and the color is worn away. In fact, I didn't even recognize one I saw yesterday for a second.
In the summer, monarchs are very, very uncommon here. This is because milkweed is a spring plant in this region. As the temperatures increase it gets so hot that the plants die back--and the monarchs move north. Monarch larvae don't have any wild milkweed to fee on.
In my garden right now predators are eating all the monarch caterpillars! It's incredible. I originally had 300-400 monarch eggs on my milkweed--and only 2 have survived! I've found assasin bugs in the garden. They literally drain the larvae dry. And paper wasps sting them and take them back to their paper nests to feed their babies. Even though the milkweed here is the most toxic kind it must not affect these invertebrates. Monarch larvae are protected from birds and other vertebrates, but the not from these invertebrates. I'm suggesting people put netting over their butterfly gardens is they want many to survive!
>From a New Orleans School We are collecting monarch caterpillars from our butterfly garden and most are about 1 cm long. Whenever the students see a monarch we know about it. A book I read said that the butterflies hatched on the way north join the migration. What information do you have?" Janice Catledge in New Orleans MAWSE@jazz.ucc.uno.edu
March 23 This year's first monarch was seen on March 23rd, earlier than normal, by the the curator of the butterfly exhibit at Callaway Gardens, in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The wings were fresh, in pristine condition, and not at all tattered. The next sightings were on April 7th and 8th. The monarchs were flying in an open sunny field and though seen from a distance, the wings did not appear tattered & old.
April 6 An employee from Groveland Elementary School's mother in Carefree, Az saw 2 Monarch Butterflies in her back yard on April 6th. Marge Mc Millian is the mother of a teacher at Groveland in Minnetonka, MN. Mrs. Berckland was telling her mother about the Journey North Project when she got the information about the sighting. Carefree AZ is located at 33 degrees longitude and 112 degrees latitude. Mrs. Schnorr's third grade class in Minnesota is excited to be part of the Journey North Project. Groveland Elementary School Wayzata, MN 0276gel@informns.k12.mn.us
April 7 Two monarchs were sighted on April 7 and three were sighted on April 8. Janiece Loveland, computer lab manager at Freeman Elementary, saw the butterflies in her yard in Garland, Texas. Garland's location is approximately 33 degrees N by 97 degrees W. joallen@tenet.edu
April 8 Hi, My daugher, Melinda, thinks she saw a Monarch butterfly today, April 8th, about 2 miles north of Riverton KS. I didn't see it, but she assures me it was a Monarch. We were driving down the road, so we couldn't very well go back and see. Just thought I would let you know. Jane Adney jadney@tyrell.net
April 9 The newsgroup sci.bio.entomogy.lepidoptera has a report from Dick Walton. Louise Zemaitis at Cape May Point, New Jersey spotted a migrating monarch on April 9/95 in an area known locally as "the Beanery. Last year's first sighting at Cape May was on April 11th. Donald A. Davis Ontario, Canada Donald_Davis@stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca
April 9 Dear Journey North, Your program inspired us to seek out the first monarch migrants in a bigger way than last year (my first sighting for 1994 was April 12). One of my coworkers here at the N.C. State Musuem of Natural Sciences in Raleigh spotted two monarchs (both very "road-weary" in appearance) on April 9. They were spotted at two different locations within the area on that same day by this person (an extremely reliable resource person). Our coordinates here in Raleigh are 35.46 N latitude and 78.38 W longitude. Thanks for a great program. By the way, the butterflyweed and swamp milkweed in my butterfly garden are all less than 5 inches tall at this point and have not opened the leaves up much at all as of yet.
Mike Dunn, Coordinator of Teacher Training NC State Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh, NC MikeDunn@aol.com
April 9 Hi! Mrs. Reid's 3rd grade class at Maplecrest School in Lebanon, Missouri would like to report the first sighting of monarchs here. Two were seen heading in a northerly direction on Sunday, April 9th. It was a beautiful , calm spring day here in the Ozarks with a temperature of about 75 degrees. rreid02@services.dese.state.mo.us
April 13 One butterfly sighted at Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina on April 13th. The wings were fresh. It was the first I've seen this spring, and was nectaring and flying northeast Lat approx 37 N, long approx 87 W Patrick Coin coin@NIEHS.NIH.GOV
April 14 Louise Markle of Kimberley Park Alternative School saw her first monarch on April 14th at Town Lake, Norman, North Carolina Latitude 35 North longitude 80 West lstiffle@isnet.is.wfu.edu
April 16 Monarch sighting in Enid, Oklahoma on 16 April 95, Sunday Afternoon. Several dozens were seen crossing the backyard going north. A front with a possible tornado is to the south today. I estimate the Lat/Long to be 36.4 and 97.8 respectively. Donald R. Tucker
April 16 An Easter update from a little north of my home base. While visiting my inlaws over the weekend up in Hayes, Virginia (near Yorktown), I spotted a monarch flying northeast at a good clip (with the wind). The sighting was on Saturday, April 15, and the coordinates for Hayes are 37.15 North latitude and 76.28 West longitude. I can't seem to quit looking for monarchs! I noticed I check out every butterfly I see now (even while driving). Take care. Mike Dunn MikeDunn@aol.com
April 16 Lee Anne Stiffler of Kimberly Park Alternative School in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina saw her first monarch on April 16th. Latitude 34 North Longitude 78 West lstiffle@isnet.is.wfu.edu
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