Date: 09/23/2007

Number: 1

Sunday afternoon on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina (Lat. 36.08 N ), the sky was blue, but dotted with orange and black. My friend, Aubrie, and I tagged 125 monarchs in four hours before we ran out of tags. Our friends, Carolyn and John were able to count 1033 monarchs during that time. John looked out from the ridge through his binoculars and could see lots more flying. So we know there were many monarchs passing by that were not counted. Around 5:30, while Aubrie and I were still tagging, John and Carolyn noticed that the monarchs were beginning to alter their behavior. Rather than moving on through, the butterflies began to circle back and remain in the area. When our tags were depleted (and most of our energy!) we sat on the grass and enjoyed watching dozens of monarchs nectaring on the goldenrod and asters six feet in front of us. As the light faded and the temperature dropped we watched intently, hoping to discover where the monarchs would roost for the night. The leeward side of a nearby oak tree seemed to be the favored spot. As the chill began to affect us as well, we decided to end our wonderful day on the Blue Ridge and head to our own roosting sites. What a glorious, fun day!

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Grandfather Mountain, NC

Latitude: 36.1 Longitude: -81.8

Observed by:
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