Date: 08/09/2008

Number: 800

August 9: 750-800

I am a volunteer for the Monarch Butterfly Research Project of Rapid River, Michigan. We study monarch migration and also tag monarchs on Stonington Peninsula. We had a large group of monarchs gathering on August 9th through the 11th. We counted around 750 to 800 roosting on four different trees. The wind conditions were perfect on the morning of the 11th, so we could stand at the end of the Peninsula and watch the monarchs flying south over Lake Michigan.

August 24: 400

We had another large group of monarchs roosting at Peninsula Point on Stonington Peninsula in Rapid River. There were around 400 monarchs on three different trees. Temperatures were around 50 degrees that night, so the monarchs were slow to leave the next morning. But again, with perfect wind conditions they started heading south before noon.

September 4: 800

This is our third large group of monarchs to migrate this fall. We had around 800 monarchs gather on the Peninsula this morning between 7:00 am and 10:00 am. Cool temperatures around 57 degrees and a strong northwest wind seemed to be slowing them down. Between 10:00 am and 1:30 pm most of these monarchs had left the area. By 1:30 pm most of these monarchs had left the Point. With warmer temperatures and the wind shifting to northeast, they were heading south. Leaving the Point, they cross Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. They fly around 9 to 18 miles over open water to Wisconsin.

Peninsula Point, MI

Latitude: 45.7 Longitude: -87

Observed by: Gina
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