Date: 08/22/2012

Number: 12

I wish I had tags today because I saw 12 Monarchs as I drove along a 30 or so mile long stretch of Lake George in New York State, and then across Lake Champlain and up into Burlington, Vermont. At one point along the northern most point of Lake George we stopped to take in the spectacular view and to take some pictures and I had 5 Monarchs flying all around us and soaring on the wind that was blowing across the lake. At times the Monarchs flew in between us, at other times across the road and at other times what seemed to be a hundred feet in the air on wind currents against the backdrop of a beautiful, clear, cloudless, blue sky. Milkweed was incredibly abundant along the entire stretch of the Lake George shoreline in New York as well as the Lake Champlain shoreline in Vermont. In some places the Milkweed was spent and already shedding leaves and in others there were fresh stalks and even spotted one stand that had fresh flowers on them on the New York side of Lake George. Not only is the migration in full swing between New York and Vermont but I almost regretted flipping over a few leaves of fresh milkweed near Ticonderoga New York and low and behold I found a fresh Monarch egg nestled in between a bunch of aphids. As difficult as it was leaving the egg there to fend for itself, I had to remind myself that any Monarchs I happened to encounter had to be on their own as I left all my containers at home.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Ticonderoga, NY

Latitude: 43.9 Longitude: -73.5

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