Date: 10/07/2007

Number: 14

At Monarch Waystation #182, 6 miles east of the Blue Ridge crest, today, October 7, was a major day of change. Since Tuesday, Oct 2, we've had from 6 to 14 monarchs in view at once in a large Tithonia planting between 6 PM and dusk each evening. This evening there are none despite very warm temps and nearly calm winds.

This morning, activity was as it's been around the Tithonia with as many as 8 monarchs nectaring. At about 9:30 AM, under rapidly warming conditions and a slight wind from the southeast, we walked through pasture and meadow nearby. We at first could see small numbers of monarchs coming off roosting trees and beginning to move ssw 50-100 ft from the ground. Within about 20 minutes, we began to see monarchs passing above us at the rate of 10-15 per minute. Some of those lower in the air column were coming to ground level to feed at bluemist flower, Conoclinium coelestinum. Others, by 10:20 AM, and with a rapidly changing wind pattern that swung around to WNW and picked up to 15-20 mph, were up riding thermals with black and turkey vultures at 500-perhaps 2000 ft. Over the next 30 mins, we continued to see many migrating monarchs and with perhaps every 100 monarchs, 1-2 buckeyes, flying in the same direction but with a really different flap pattern. We got back home from our walk at 11:30 AM and had 4-5 monarchs at the Tithonia until perhaps 2 PM. The winds had died down, the temps neared 90 degrees and we haven't seen a monarch since.

It is likely that thousands of monarchs passed through our neighborhood this AM; this was certainly the biggest push we've witnessed since Sept 12, 2001.

Despite the monarchs departure, the abnormal warm and abundance of remaining flowering plants kept hundreds of other butterflies, numerous bee species, moths, flies and wasps well-fed. Oct 12 is my traditional frost date here. It may reach 65 for a low tonight.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Saint Louis, VA

Latitude: 39 Longitude: -77.8

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