Date: 08/23/2017

Number: 120

While sitting in the parking lot at Northwest Beach waiting for my son's Junior Naturalist program to finish I started noticing Monarchs flying South, parallel to the shoreline. Beginning at around 11:00 I was noticing one Monarch every couple of minutes. Around 13:00 we headed toward the tip in hopes of seeing them flying out across Lake Erie. After getting off the tip shuttle, we took the footpath toward the tip and were still seeing monarchs flying South at the rate of around one per minute. There was a strong wind from the West. When we reached the tip we noticed them trying to fly out across Lake Erie. As they left the shelter of land the wind immediately pushed them East. We watched many struggle against the wind and eventually make their way back to the shelter of the trees on the East Beach in the lee of the wind. They were not clustering. Many were resting only a metre or two above the sand on Wild Grape, Mulberry and other vegetation. There was a lot of activity in the lee of the wind. Dozens and dozens of Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds and dragonflies of various types were chasing swarms of insects and disturbing the resting Monarchs. Many visitors were able to get close up pictures of the resting Monarchs. Of the ones we were able to identify, the vast majority were male. Temperature was around 24°C, mostly sunny. The irony of the day is that while we were watching many fly South, we also witnessed at least one female ovipositing on the tiny Milkweed plants growing in the sand at Northwest Beach. It was quite a thrill for the Junior Naturalists who got to see it happen. We found two second instar caterpillars as well. I have a feeling it's going to be a long migration season into October again.

Leamington, ON

Latitude: 42 Longitude: -82.5

Observed by: Laura
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