Date: 04/10/2017

Number: 33

Monarchs and egg (dumping) laying in Lawrence, KS. Waystation #1

All of us at Monarch Watch saw monarchs today. Matt Tucker reported one late this morning. Ann and others searched for milkweed shoots and eggs in the garden before 2 and found none. Later 7 eggs were found on one syriaca shoot where there were none earlier. I found an egg at about 1:30 on a tropical milkweed plant that had been placed outside the greenhouse. Ann searched the same plants later - about 30 small plants with few leaves — and found another 25 eggs.

It’s obvious that a lot of egg dumping is underway. Females with lots of eggs to lay are finding it hard to find milkweeds and apparently keep coming back to the same plants.

At 4:15 I took a break and went on a search for emerging milkweeds myself and met up with a monarch female (my 4th of the day) who was conducting her own search. I followed her for about 80 yards before she disappeared. Her flight was strong and her search effort was intense and rapid. It was hard to keep up with her and eventually I couldn’t.

The most interesting observation was of a monarch using powered flight at a height of about 40’ at 1PM. He/she was on a NNW course with a quartering wind from the left. The flight speed was impressive and probably more than 12mph.

Lawrence, KS

Latitude: 39 Longitude: -95.2

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