Date: 09/13/2017

Number: 150

Tagged ten adults. Many more were flying through our area but were too high or not interested in stopping to nectar at the butterfly garden. This is probably the peak of migration for our area. Numerous adults in the trees in the evening at Farm Island Recreation Area east of Pierre, SD

Maybe 100-150 total monarchs. Hard to be accurate as thousands of painted ladies were also flying through this year.

I walk the trails at Farm Island Recreation Area almost every day. Two years ago I noticed that individual monarchs were coming in for the evening and leaving the next morning. I have not seen groups of monarchs arriving. And I have not found "the" roost tree. I don't know if there is one place they all go for the night or if they just rest any where in the trees. Any advice to help document this better would be appreciated. Might be just to spend more time there later into the evening.

I suspect monarchs are roosting in the trees at Oahe Downstream Recreation Area also. Both of these state-owned lands have wooded areas that are great for the butterflies to get out of the wind and rain.

Two years ago I had a one-day wave of monarchs in mid-October, so I'm still watching to see if more pass through.

Fort Pierre, SD

Latitude: 44.4 Longitude: -100.4

Observed by: Charlene
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