Date: 09/04/2004

Number: 1

Comments about lack of knowledge on Monarch roosts lead me to reminsce about watching them a couple years ago. The butterflies gather towards evening nectaring quite heavily in the outlying meadow. Then when the sun is about an hour from setting they begin to lift and trail one another inspecting the understory of the catalpa trees in the grove. It's a heart lifting sight to see a group of over 100, wings backlit by the low sun dancing amid the green leaves. Temperatures and wind direction seem to be part of the process. Singly and in groups they settle on various branches. Wings are flashing to warn others off from landing too close. They may settle in quickly, quickly closing their wings and quietly going to sleep. And I've seen them all settle down, only to lift in a group to whirl up to the top of the old poplar or to the swamp willows. Some groups are flighty and nervous, others quite calm. Quite often they aren't moving even an hour after sunrise. The sunlite seems to tickle

Marne, MA

Latitude: 43.1 Longitude: -85.8

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