Date: 10/14/2007

Number: 1

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, I counted 76 monarch butterflies in 45 minutes. Time of day was approx. 4pm. The monarch's route takes them up Hwy 151 (Pisgah Hwy)across a steep mountain range, approx. 4600-4900 ft. elevation, near Mt. Pisgah 5000 ft elevation. The night time temp this time of the year, falls to about 30-40 degrees. This was the 2nd time in 2 weeks that I've traveled to the Parkway to see the Monarch's, I was pleasantly surprised on both occasions, I saw plenty of butterflies. Once the butterfly's come up over the tree tops from the north, they gently glide south, down the other side of the the mountain into South Carolina.

I did notice something unusual when I was observing on 10.14.07, I noticed this reaction on about 5 butterflies, they were flying and all of a sudden it almost appeared that they hit something, of course it was only air, they appeared to be knocked back, but then they adjusted their route and continued on....I had never seen this before.
Do you have any idea about this unusual behavior?

Candler, NC

Latitude: 35.5 Longitude: -82.7

Observed by: Sandra
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