Date: 09/14/2010

Number: 100

September 15
Sighted even more Monarchs today in our 25 ft pine trees. Thought for sure they would have taken flight this morning but they were still perched as if asleep this morning with wings closed in clusters on branches nestled in a corner of our beach property. They were there all day, as late as 5 pm. Seemed to be more than yesterday- not sure if they are they same butterflies or another wave that decided to rest for the day. Surprised they hung around all day as I thought Monarchs flew during the day and rested at night. Saw at least one hundred. We tried to count them to get a fair estimate. No other pine trees on the beach road seem to appeal to them but we are glad they have decided to make our home theirs too. They seem to be flying in from the ocean. Some actually seem to be flying straight at you that dart away when close to your face. So beautiful. Will send pictures. We "checked" on them at 9 am and every few hours after until 5 pm to make sure they were still there. Seemed to stir when we were videoing them a bit , but not in an alarming way. It was as if they were stretching their wings just to give us a show before settling down again on a favorite branch.

September 14
Observed increasing number of monarchs on NJ beach. As dusk approached, few hundred aggregated in tall pine trees on my property just off the beach. Clusters of 20-30 suddenly settled on a pine tree branch and within 2-3 minutes, closed their wings and quieted for the night. They did not appear disturbed by soft voices and pictures. Anxious to see if more arrive tomorrow, Over the years, the monarchs have returned to our pine trees each mid-September. Will post duration of siting. My observation time: I was watching for ___ hours and ___ minutes.

Lavallette, NJ

Latitude: 40 Longitude: -74.1

Observed by: Kathleen
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