Date: 10/10/2017

Number: 35000

A big roosting event in Brooklyn (Plum Beach) during a storm, and then the mass migratory exodus of Monarch Butterflies the next day (October 10) in the barrier beach of Queens (Fort Tilden).

Monarch Butterflies were forced to stop their Mexico bound migration for a couple of days.

And hundreds ended up trying to weather the storm at Plum Beach.

Fort Tilden, Queens the next day
The sun rose on October 10th an environment much more hospitable to insects than the one over which it had presided just one day prior.

And those insects included hordes of happy monarchs!!

As the wind picked up, they began to migrate west...
through the dunes...
down the beach and even over the ocean!

The river of orange butterflies was unrelenting
For some, though, it was just another day at the beach

More than 150 monarchs per minute...for hours!!
Just a few hours of counting yielded 35,000 migrating monarchs!!
Sometimes "incredible" is an understatement

Godspeed, you truly marvelous monarchs!



Courtesy of Doug G

Fort Tilden, NY

Latitude: 40.6 Longitude: -73.9

Observed by:
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