Date: 09/26/2009

Number: 8000

Each year we await the Monarchs during the first week of October at our family farm near Sylvester Texas. We were surprised at the early arrival of the first group roosting in Willow trees that line a section of China Creek that runs through our property. They were roosting in the same place as the past 9 years, only a week earlier than ever before. We have more milkweed than we have ever had before and the butterflies were feeding and spending some time in the grass as well. We estimated approximately 80 groups of between 75 and 100 butterflies per group. Certainly not the largest amount we have had at one time before, but the sight of them taking flight as we walked under the trees was quite remarkable! Hopefully we will have additional arrivals today or later this week. If so, I will report them as well. I will download pictures and forward them later on today.

This is the earliest we have ever had Monarchs roost at our place in Sylvester Texas. We have had a constant stream of Monarchs roosting since that date with the largest numbers on 9-27. We still had Monarchs roosting even yesterday, Sunday October 4th.

Sylvester, TX

Latitude: 32.7 Longitude: -100.2

Observed by: Mike
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