Date: 09/08/2005

Number: 1

This was a special day for monarch watching. During a three-hour morning visit to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, 615 monarchs were counted--the most during a visit this autumn. The monarchs were nectaring on a variety of sunflowers and thistles, and they were found in several areas of the refuge. More than a hundred were counted near a savanna trail that has woodlands on one side and the open prairie on the other, The monarchs were flying out of the woods onto the prairie and were nectaring on tickseed sunflowers. Another stand of tickseeds also has become a favorite stopping point, and a number of monarchs were counted there. Another 150 were nectaring in tall sunflowers, creating scenes of 5 to 10 monarchs billowing up from the plants into the sky at a single time. Near midday a powerful wind and rainstorm burst across the prairie, showing the natural threat that monarchs face during their migration south. Winds from the northwest hit more than 80 miles an hour in several place

Prairie City, IA

Latitude: 41.6 Longitude: -93.3

Observed by: Robert
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