Date: 10/12/2011

Number: 300

Several hundred on abundant liatris that recent rains have stimulated. 1/2 hour after sunset many remained on liatris. Some had flown to trees but were still flying around rather than settled. If they all moved to trees, it was well after dark.

Several hundred is the best I can estimate. Liatris covers at least 50 acres in varying density. One 50 x 15 foot patch had 22 monarchs at 14:45. On one of our interior "roads" at 16:00 a 900 foot transect with effective viewing width of 30 feet (done from tractor moving at constant 5 mph) counted 67, which surely missed some. That would scale to over 5000 for 60 acres, but I think the road included some of the denser patches of liatris so not entirely representative. leave it at several hundred. On the other hand liatris doesn't stop at our fence, so local area count could be much larger.

chalk mountain, TX

Latitude: 32.1 Longitude: -97.9

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