Date: 10/02/2007

Number: 8

This past weekend, Sept 29-30, I anticipated huge numbers of monarchs passing through Waystation #182.

Despite many hours in the landscape and really prodigious numbers of asters, goldenrods, zinnias, marigolds, verbena, eupatorium and tithonia in bloom, I saw a single monarch. The weather was warm with daytime highs in upper 70s, full sun and little wind. From Chincoteague, perhaps 150 miles to my southeast, Denise Gibbs was reporting thousands of monarchs feeding.

Last night (10/2), getting home on a day when the temperatures were in the mid 80s and the sun again without clouds blocking its heating, I found 8 monarchs feeding in a single clump of tithonia. They looked fresh; none were tagged. Additionally 3-4 monarchs were visiting other plants at our waystation. By dusk, the tithonia feeding monarchs headed towards a nearby row of large white pines to roost.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Middleburg, VA

Latitude: 39 Longitude: -77.7

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