Date: 08/21/2009

Number: 600

Sunday, August 30

Had about 5 and never over 10 monarchs around today. Many goldfinches eating the liatris seed, far more goldfinches than monarchs. The goldfinches love that liatris seed, they ignore niger (nyjer) thistle when the liatris is ripe. Once the goldfinches discover your liatris patch the only way to get seed is to cover the best plants with netting material so the seed can fully ripen.

Saturday, August 29

Had 20 to 25 monarchs nectaring today.No roosts. Couldn't even find a single.

Friday, August 28

At least 100, maybe 150, nectaring today. Only located about 65 roosting monarchs tonight in total. Found two roosts this evening both high 40ft up. One approx 40 one approx 15. Did find a few singles and doubles. When I came in at 8:30 PM Temp was 60� F. Have much swamp MW growing in containers near my greenhouse. Some years I have problems with the leaves being stripped by the eating monarch larva. Today only found two larva on those plants, although I did not look really hard.

Thursday, August 27

No roosts at all.About 200 monarch were here nectaring most of the day, but they all went into the woods as singles. A little bit of flitting about like they might roost but, ultimately, they all stayed single. It was 65� F when I went in at 8:30 PM.

Wednesday, August 26

At least 500 nectaring today. One small cluster of 20 high in a cottonwood tree. No other roosts. Many singles and doubles in the woods, not on edge where roosts usually form. When I came in at about 8:30 PM temp was still 68� F. , and air was calm. There were many monarchs here nectaring today so they either moved on or are in the woods. The one roost and singles and doubles I found would only amount to a total of 50 or fewer butterflies.

Tuesday, August 25

At least 200 or so nectaring today. Found one roost of 15 another of 12 all the rest were one's, two maybe a few fives. The total monarchs located roosting tonight is about 100 (if you can call singles and doubles a roost).

Monday, August 24

I could find no roosts tonight. I think the strong southwest wind is a factor. There were some, probably less than 100 nectaring, and they must have gone somewhere but not in any roosts that I could find. Looks like the forecast might offer some more good days here Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Sunday, August 23

At 5:30 AM temperature was 47�F. I tagged about 100 monarchs. Sunday evening was much warmer than the previous two evenings, so I thought roosts might not form. Found two roosts of about 25 each and two others with 40 or so each. Probably only found a total of 150 or fewer monarchs roosting, but there were more than that nectaring. Watched several small roosts form, a friend video tapped them forming and thinks he has some good raw footage. (Click here to see video clip.)

Saturday, August 22

Saturday morning at 5;30 AM temperature was 45� F. My friend Frank Wilebski tagged about 160 monarchs. Saturday evening there were about the same amount of roosts as on Fri, but there was one with probably 250-300 in it. It was about 50 feet up in an ash tree. Saturday night's night roost total was probably 600 monarchs.

Friday, August 21, 8 pm

About 10 roosts, the biggest probably has 100 butterflies or so, for a total of about 500 monarchs. Still a few singles and doubles in trees. I feel the migration is on, as I have seen very little local population build up this year. In fact, the lowest local population build-up I have ever experienced. The forecast for next few days are Sunny and warm with cool nights perfect for tagging migrants. I will be tagging tomorrow.

Sunday, August 16

I don't like to be a pessimist but right here in Cannon Falls area it has been the poorest year ever. Very little production locally. Only chance now is for a good migration. I have 1000 tags and may be sending them back unless north of here has had a lot better weather for monarch production.

Today should have been a perfect day for monarchs. sunny, 80's, mild to some gusty winds, and ,most importantly, the liatris is just starting to hit peak bloom, yet only about 15 monarchs here. Many years that number could have been 500. Have not yet tagged a monarch. Have observed no roosts, as so few around ( but generally the hard migration wouldn't have started here yet.) Usually lots of building of local monarchs August 1- 23 or so, then hard migration somewhere around August 23 - September 1.

I raise most of my Liatris ligulistylis as kind of a biannual as some kind of insect eats the heck out of the leaves as it emerges in the spring, so I start all in pots from seed, keep it growing in pots all summer, then transplant to my annual beds the next spring. Lots of work but we have to adapt just as the pests have adapted to my unnatural abundance of these plants. To put it bluntly lowest ever numbers here. Somewhat hopeful that numbers might increase to average as the migration moves through. An awful lot would have to change in the next 7 to 10 days to even get up to average here. Hope it's better elsewhere.

Cannon Falls, MN

Latitude: 44.5 Longitude: -92.8

Observed by: Tom
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