Date: 10/11/2013

Number: 124

I had just about convinced myself that the days of a robust migration were over. Seeing the creatures lilting in the breeze, floating above the persimmons and cedars, and lighting on pecan limbs along the Llano River banks gave me hope that perhaps they would be OK.

The clusters were small compared to previous years. The largest group we saw numbered only 20 – 25. Most swoops of the net garnered only one Monarch at a time. In the past we’d often capture several in one swing.

They moved around the trees and we tagged more than 100 by dinnertime Saturday (October 12)–again, in ones and twos. Most appeared healthy and we recorded an equal number of males and females. The butterflies seemed uninterested in the abundant nectar lining the riverbanks–Frostweed, Goldenrod, Water hemlock, Cowpen Daisies, Purple Aster and even a Cardinal flower or two. But Monarchs stayed in the trees, as if resting for their long journey.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Mason, TX

Latitude: 30.7 Longitude: -99.2

Observed by:
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