Date: 03/29/2005

Number: 1

On Tue. March 29 I was in Mandeville, LA, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, and I saw 4 adult monarchs flying within a garden. Three were females (worn) and one was a male (worn). No milkweeds present at site.

I am fairly certain that the monarchs I observed on both Tuesday and Wed. were migrants from Mexico. They were very worn and emaciated as is the case with migrants. Today is rainy and so I will have to await for a clearing on Sat. to check for monarchs in Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, my Mexican milkweed and native A. viridis are blooming and ready to be nurseries! I will keep you posted. As far as I know there are no data on what happens to monarchs that continue to breed throughout the winter along the Gulf Coast. Since they are exhausting their energy reserves, they certainly must die before spring. But their progeny should move northward as would the progeny of migrants that oviposit on the Gulf Coast. The circumstantial data indicates this is so: we have virtually no monarchs here in the summer.

Mandeville, LA

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -90

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