Date: 08/21/2006

Number: 1

Tonight there must have been about 500 Monarchs in clusters all over the maple trees around my house. They've been gathering for a week now, each night a bunch more. They choose different branches each time, but cluster tightly together in groups of 10 to 200.This is the first time in 23 years that I've lived here that I've seen Monarchs gather like this.

It was a clear warm day, slightly breezy and about 8:20 pm. (15 min. before sunset ). The butterflies gathered in groups of 10 to 200 on the lower branches on the south side of the maples around my house ( there are 27 large trees in 3 rows running east / west and the house is in the middle) On this day they gathered mostly on the middle row of trees. Some preferred branches with leaves but a group of about 40 preferred a bare branch.

Through the day I don't see as many butterflies, although some seem to stay on their roosts all through the day. Around 6:00 pm I notice lots of them flying around the trees and as the evening progresses they start to cluster on the ends of branches. They don't seem to keep to the exact same branches each night, although they seem to prefer the same specific trees. In the morning they disperse before I get out the door at 8 or 8:30. A few hang around the trees and stay on their branches.

Tonight ( Aug. 22) there didn't seem to be as many - maybe only 200- 300 but I didn't have time to really take note.

As for sources of nectar - my flower bed has a bunch of white phlox in bloom right now, but I don't see butterflies on it much. Right next door is a field of alfalfa hay that is in bloom and 1/4 mile down the road a field of corn in tassel ( don't know if this is a nectar source) This is fairly well cultivated farm land, so not too much meadow or marginal land with Joe Pye Weed for at least a mile from here.

Thornton, ON

Latitude: 44.2 Longitude: -79.4

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