Date: 10/12/2006

Number: 1

A friend who is a wetlands scientist and herpetologist spent Oct 12-15,
2006 at a beach house located on Edisto Island, a barrier island about 40 miles SE of Charleston, SC or 70 miles NE of Savannah, GA. While there, weather was sunny with temps in the 80s on the first day; it continued sunny for the rest of the period but day time highs dropped into the 70s.

She observed monarchs every day, moving south along the beaches, along the salt marsh and just out above the surf. She described what she saw as a regular stream, with butterflies-- both Gulf fritillaries and monarchs--flying in ones and twos. She estimated one butterfly every second or two for the combined species. The butterflies were nectaring at oleander.

She also related that while in town one evening she found a cluster of a couple of dozen monarchs on one shrub.

Contributed by Craig Tufts
Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Edisto Island, SC

Latitude: 32.6 Longitude: -80.3

Observed by:
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