Date: 02/13/2005

Number: 1

It was around noon on the 13 of Feburary. I was helping my parents clean out the garage, when a little butterfly passed by me. I had studied monarchs in class earlier and wanted to see if it was a monarch. After following it, from a distance I might add, it perched on a little bush not far from the garage. I looked at it from all angles and realized that it was a monarch, no mistake.

Teacher, Mary Kennedy adds:

Perhaps monarchs are spending Dec. Jan. Feb. as pupae somewhere in warm, microhabitats in the area. Earlier this week I saw a small, fresh swallowtail and thought that it was perhaps the last of the fall larvae that had just emerged in the warm Feb. sunshine. Or maybe there are some monarchs that don't make it all the way to Michoacan?? Or perhaps some do leave Michoacan very early. I would like to examine the wear and tear on the wings of these February monarchs. I think that might give us a clue about how they came to Boerne in February.

I am not sure that it is a migrant all the way from Michoacan. I do not see monarchs in December, January, and February in the Texas Hill Country, so when one is reported, I immediately think "migrant." Last year I was skeptical, although my naturalist friend who reported the monarch was experienced enough to know what she saw. Graham is really a smart student, but anyone could make a mistake....however I think he knows a monarch after catching them at Garner Park. I will be more positive when someone brings in the butterfly so that I can examine it myself.

Boerne, TX

Latitude: 29.8 Longitude: -98.8

Observed by: Cori
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