Date: 02/22/2004

Number: 1

Spring is beginning: the tulips and magnolia blossoms are appearing in the Tallahassee area. And so are monarchs along the coast about 25 miles south of here.

I spent a warm spring day (72F) at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge yesterday and counted eleven monarchs flitting around. When I drove over to the town of St. Marks, for lunch at a landmark dive called Posey's, I spotted two more monarchs. I was able to get close enough to all of them to see that they were quite fresh in color; I assume, therefore, that they were a new brood from monarchs that overwinter along the upper Gulf Coast of Florida (e.g., from Cedar Key to Pensacola--and probably westward).

Given yesterday's sightings, along with sporatic reports from friends who live along the coast, it appears that a greater than normal number of monarchs may have overwintered along the Gulf Coast this year.

Things are not looking very good in Mexico, but in a few weeks the upper Gulf Coast of Florida may have a few more monarchs than usual to send northward this spring.

Contributed to Monarch Watch

St Marks, FL

Latitude: 30.2 Longitude: -84.2

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