Date: 04/21/2007

Number: 1

This is NOT a report about a sighting! It is a comment on non-sightings.
This is the first time in my eight years of enhancing the spring migration of monarchs that we have not had one or more first-generation monarchs visit our Eden monarch grounds here in Tallahassee. As in past years, we have had anywhere from 200 to 300 mostly greenhouse grown milkweed plants out in fields to attract migrating female monarchs. Nor a sighting, nor an egg or a caterpillar. Apparently our very dry spring (about two inches of rain in the past six or more weeks) and relatively cool evenings have combined to stunt the growth of wild nectar and host plants. This seems to have caused the migrating monarchs to take a more northerly-northeasterly route than usual.
These factors also seem to have reduced the number of other butterflies, as well.
Richard RuBino

Tallahassee, FL

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -84.3

Observed by: Richard
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