Date: 06/26/2010

Number: 1

helped with the annual 4th of July butterfly count at The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, OK today. In the first 3 hours of the count, 36 adult monarchs and one caterpillar were counted. I was told this was a low number compared to previous years' counts. Later in the afternoon when the heat index reached 105 degrees, many more monarchs were counted nectaring in the shade on buttonbush flowers along streams. There were 5 species of milkweeds in peak bloom, with Asclepias tuberosa being the most abundant. Butterfly species diversity was good, but numbers of individuals were down.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Pawhuska, OK

Latitude: 36.8 Longitude: -96.3

Observed by:
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