Date: 03/17/2003

Number: 1

While doing a big circle around Victoria checking the status of one of the local, native milkweeds, I had a monarch approach and pass right over the van ... stroking fast. It disappeared in the rearview mirrow to the NW ... with a trailing SE breeze. The NW was a strange direction ... I expected to see the first moving between N and NE ... but I was between two hay meadows east and west of each other with a good start of milkweed. The milkweed, Asclepias viridis, seems to have been setback by the late freeze we had in February followed by a very cold week. Most stems of the viridis were two to four inches, seldom more than five inches.

Two days later, on March 19:

We would only confirm sixteen ... know we saw in the twenties.


Seven monarchs within fifteen minutes on outskirts of Victoria,
4:30 p.m. Five over an acre hay patch that has a great deal of A.
viridis. Watched two females at twenty feet thru binoculars, large,
faded. Walked to within six feet of another with net (four foot
handle!), large, moderate fade. These were all working down in
the grass, working and reworking the patches. Saw one as we
approached the area and another half mile after we left. Number
eight coming home between Victoria and PL.


Several monarchs at bay end of causeway peninsula from 6:00 on.
Eight that we could watch and be sure were different ... then
there were monarchs beginning to mill around. We never found
a cluster but still saw monarchs around and over a large motte
of salt cedars at 6:30. Watched a lot of these thru binoculars
when there was still light, two very, very faded. Saw nothing
today upclose that we would call "new".


Squall line passed thru about noon with frontal passage, turned
clear, west breeze, 78 dF, windy along the bay.

Victoria, TX

Latitude: 28.8 Longitude: -97

Observed by: Harlen E.
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