• This Week's Migration Map and Data
• News from the Migration Trail
• A Second Wave Moves Across the Southeast
• When Will the Next Generation Appear? Discussion of CQ #9
• How Many Eggs Can a Single Monarch Lay?
• Discussion of Challenge Question #8
• Speaking of Eggs: A Conversation With Dr. Lincoln Brower
• Answers from the Monarch Butterfly Expert
• Wanted: Your Monarch and Milkweed Sightings!

Use today's data to make your own map, or print and analyze our map:

• Migration Map
• Migration Data for Classroom Mapping
• Slideshow (Week-by-week animation)

Mike Quinn must have a crystal ball on his desk at Texas Parks and Wildlife. He saw the future clearly last week when he said, "By this time next week, there should be plenty of Oklahoma and even perhaps a few Kansas monarch reports!"

Take a look at the map. Sixty six new sightings were reported, 11 from Oklahoma, one from Kansas, and 54 others from across the southeastern U.S.

Dozens of observers talked about monarchs streaming by--past windows, over playgrounds, and into gardens. The migration's leading edge is now approaching 36N. Who saw them this week?

• Third grade students at Overstreet School in Starkville, Mississippi, who have been watching closely and saw a monarch on Monday. "When this butterfly came flying through the playground area the students started shouting," said 3rd grade teacher Ms. McCarthy.
• In Kim Baily's backyard in Georgia, the first monarch appeared on Monday "exactly one year from when I spotted the first monarch in my yard last spring!" she noted.
• "I've seen more monarchs over that past week than I can ever recall for early April," said Mr. McCord of Charleston, SC. He saw 12 on Wednesday and on 19 Thursday. It is difficult to get a good read on when monarchs from Mexico get to the South Carolina coastal area, he added, because some monarchs overwinter here.
• A faded monarch was gliding along the sidewalk about four feet from the ground as it headed north down Main Street in Jonesboro, Arkansas on April 3. But in Beggs, Oklahoma Diane McGowen noted something new: several female monarchs in excellent condition, flying low and heading north.

Where did these fresh monarchs come from? Are they the first members of the next generation on the wing?

"We think Ms. Monarch's baby will become an adult on April 16 (Easter Sunday)," said students in Wirtz, Virginia.

"They are moving at a slower pace through their stages than the normal 30-day cycle we see in the summer. I am not sure if it is because the room temperature has been in the upper 60's and lower 70's, or it is because of the artificial diet they have been eating. Sounds like something to research."

Watch the Baby Grow!

Monarch Growth Calendar
and Life-cycle Book >>

How Many Eggs Can a Single Monarch Lay?

First Mrs. Nunnally's 2nd grade class predicted 398 eggs but, after seeing a monarch's egg-laying behavior last week, they they revised their prediction to 650.

But Ms. Monarch is surpassing everyone's expectations. As of noon on Thursday she had laid 708 eggs!

Here is her egg-laying calendar, which Dr. Edson is updating it regularly.

Ms. Monarch's Egg-laying Calendar

What do you find most interesting about a monarch egg, I asked Dr. Brower while talking on the phone this morning. His response was so fascinating that I asked him to stop. I quickly plugged the phone into a voice recorder so I wouldn't miss a word. We will have the full conversation for you next week, but this is how Dr. Brower began:

"Monarchs have to be careful not to lay more than one egg per plant (or leaf) because, when they hatch, the caterpillar will eat its own eggshell. The next thing it will do is wander over and _____."

Challenge Question # 10
"How do you suppose Dr. Brower completed his sentence? Explain why you think monarchs typically lay one egg on a milkweed plant (or leaf)."

Dr. Karen Oberhauser needs no introduction to most of our readers. She is well known and respected among students, teachers, and her scientist-colleagues alike. Dr. Oberhauser has been studying monarchs for 22 years. Her education program, "Monarchs in the Classroom," provides curriculum North America-wide--and over 50,000 monarch caterpillars to schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"What is your favorite question people have asked you over the years?" first grade students in Glyn Ellen, Illinois wanted to know.

After some thought, Dr. Oberhauser said this: "My favorite kind of question is one that I don’t know the answer to, because it makes me think about new things about monarchs! Your question about how many monarchs are in the United States made me think!"

How many monarchs are in the United States? Read on...

• Answers from the Monarch Butterfly Expert

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