Date: 10/17/2015

Number: 25000

Over the past two weeks we have had tens--probably hundreds--of thousands of migrating Monarchs pass through Midland and Odessa in West Texas. I have had over a dozen Monarchs in my small butterfly garden every day during this time; they are there right now. A group of roosting Monarchs in south Midland County was estimated to contain 20,000-25,000 individuals. Several experienced butterfly counters observed this concentration. The Monarchs were watched as they took off in great clouds when the temperature warmed. We have seen flocks of Monarchs in the sky passing overhead and large clusters of Monarchs hanging from trees in the evening. Many Monarchs have also been seen in Lubbock and even Amarillo which is unusual. The primary Monarch route--usually through Central Texas--shifted westward this year, probably due to the drought in Central Texas and the abundant rains in late September in West Texas. The last westward shift of the route was in 2011 when similar large concentrations were observed.

Courtesy of TX-BUTTERFLY

Midland, TX

Latitude: 32 Longitude: -102.1

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