Date: 10/15/2011

Number: 200

Altus and I moved our RV trailer out to our pasture in NW
DeWitt County (TX) on Friday (14th) and had monarchs flying by and around us all afternoon. Saturday morning (15th) about 11, Altus and I did a ride-about thru the pasture for an hour and half and found monarchs flying by, nectaring on abundant narrow leaf gay-feather, and ovipositing on A. asperula that was all over the pasture. The A. asperula was from small sprouts to stems nine inches long, many multi-stemmed plants, up to seven blooms on a plant ... like March/April all over again! Altus checked as females visited asperula and found as many as five eggs on a stem of asperula ... larvae to small 3rd instars. There were times we had 3 and 4 monarchs flying around us. Also a few A. viridiflora to 8 inches and A. oenotheroides about 6 inches tall. We probably saw 150, mayby 200+ just flying Friday afternoon and middle of Saturday in the pasture! Altus was up earlier and said she was watching them out the picture window flying past to the S and SSW, most low, over the asperula. Picture of A. asperula, short gay-feather, vetch.

They were just fall monarchs to us. We have never been to our pasture at this time in October as we concentrate on the Coastal Flyway here on the midcoast and just never have been inland in the fall. The coastal monarchs will be coming along in about ten days ... after the 21st ... so next year we will have a decision of where to be! We may make a quick trip back to the pasture again this week to see what the number is like before things begin to happen here on the coast.

Westhoff, TX

Latitude: 29.2 Longitude: -97.5

Observed by: Harlen E.
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