Date: 09/06/2003

Number: 1

The observations for the morning turned up 370 monarchs today--the most yet in daily visits to the refuge.

Sept. 8: 98 Monarchs (in 1 hour)

Sept. 7: 152 Monarchs (in 1 hour)

Sept. 6: 370 Monarchs (in 2.5 hours)

Sept. 5: 171 Monarchs (in 1 hour, mid-morning)

Sept. 5: 223 Monarchs (in 2 hours, 3-5 pm

Sept. 4: 326 Monarchs (in 2 hours)

Sept. 3: 210 Monarchs (in 2 hours)

Sept. 2: 236 Monarchs (in 2 hours)

Sept. 1: 246 Monarchs (in 3 hours)

Aug. 31: 128 Monarchs (in 2.5 hours)

Central Iowa is exceedingly dry now, and some areas of the refuge are showing the strains of lack of rain.Some wildflowers are drying out early and dying. Does the dry weather affect the monarch migration--the timing of it and the places visited?

Family members aided today in the first half of a 2 1/2-hour count of monarchs at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Two of our grandchildren, ages 5 and 2, had their first field experience of tromping through the prairie grasses and watching the monarchs flying over their heads. The observations for the morning turned up 370 monarchs--the most yet in daily visits to the refuge.

Prairie City, IA

Latitude: 41.6 Longitude: -93.3

Observed by: Robert
Contact Observer

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