Date: 10/11/2009

Number: 300

October 14
It was warm and clear today, in the mid-80's. No wind to speak of. I was out between 3:15 and 4:40. The Monarchs were much more active. Flitting around much more and landing on the ground quite a bit. There still didn't seem to be many of them, a few hundred at best. There were no clouds of them in the sky and they seemed to be going nowhere in particular except around the pecan trees, oak trees, and Mountain Laurel trees. They were clumping here and there but not as much as in the last three days. Also, when it was overcast and cooler they clumped on the west side of the trees. Today they preferred the east side of the trees.

October 13
Was out today between 2:15 and 4:00 pm on Pinto Creek five miles north west of Brackettville. It was 85 degrees and comfortable. Slightly overcast with bits of sun. The Monarchs were very active. They formed even smaller clumps than they did yesterday and dozens at a time could be seen flitting from here to there. They seemed to have no particular direction, other than away from me. They didn't seem as picky about what they landed on. They perched on dead trees, the pecans (their favorite on our place), the oaks, and even on the Mountain Laurel from time to time. Their numbers were not high. A few hundred at best, although it was hard to be sure. So few were in flight and they scattered whenever I came near, lighting elsewhere.

October 12
I was out on Pinto Creek five miles northwest of Brackettville, Texas today here in Kinney County between 2:30 and 4:40 p.m.. It was 70 degrees, overcast, and the Monarchs were a bit more active today than yesterday. I saw fewer clumps, and the clumps I saw had fewer Monarchs. But I saw more of them flying. Never more than a dozen at a time within my sight. They stuck close to the pecan trees and seemed to have little interest in going outside that particular area (where our pecan trees are).

In our area we usually have massive amounts of viguiera dentata (or a similar flower, I'm no botanist) and the Monarchs seem to enjoy lighting on them. This year, we have very few of these yellow flowers and no tall stands of them as we've had in years past. I saw no butterflies near the ground today, they were all up in the trees. My observation time: I was watching for 2 hours and 10 minutes.

October 11
I went today to look for Monarchs, my first day in four or five days to go out and look, and spotted them clumping in the pecan trees along Pinto Creek in Kinney County between 5 and 7 p.m. It was 65 degrees out and overcast, they weren't very active. They seemed content to just be clinging to the trees. By the ones, twos, half dozen, and dozens.

Editor’s Note: We are estimating a minimum 300 monarchs based on observer’s estimate of “a few hundred.”

Brackettville, TX

Latitude: 29.3 Longitude: -100.4

Observed by: Genie
Contact Observer

The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.