Date: 08/27/2019

Number: 200

My husband noticed this roost when they were haying up in the hills. They were gone the next day. Humid, brisk wind out of the NW.

Editor's note: contacted observer for more details on this sighting

My husband saw the Monarchs first (August 26th) about 5pm when they were haying up in the hills. He took me up there the next morning and we took pictures.

The number (200) was just a guess. The very first roost we saw was of hundreds….maybe more like thousands. More than one could imagine. So this one looked pretty small but there were still a lot of them.

Nectar sources: There are some really big pastures up there and there are lots of wild flowers blooming there still. Plus alfalfa along our driveway and in a few spots.

Overnight temperatures: Overnight temp was in the upper 40’s to low 50’s.

The humidity has been really high. Early morning in the 90 to 100% and it goes down as the day progresses, then back up as evening comes. Monarchs were on the east end of a shelter belt. Wind was out of the NW at 20 to 28 mph.

By the way: The first time we saw a big roost was in 2016. Wind was out of the east. Got to the end of our driveway and turned east and saw this bunch of orange flashing on a tree. Sat and watched the Monarchs as they flashed their wings each time another one joined them! Here we thought they had just hatched and were drying their wings! Boy! Did we have a lot to learn! We headed on up the road to the east and that is where we REALLY SAW THEM! Thousands!!!!

We found them there again in 2017 and 2018. MANY again. In 2018 it was really hot and humid and their roost was different. They spread out more. The place we were watching them was about a mile and a half west of our driveway which is a little higher altitude than we are. (we live on the edge of the Coteau Hills).

There was a good patch of alfalfa over there where all the bushes are… There is quite a bit of pasture land around, some of it virgin prairie with all sorts of wild flowers, and there are still some of us who don’t spray the whole pasture for weeds but may go in after only the leafy spruge. Some more of the pasture land has been planted to corn and beans in the past couple years. This year the wild Bee Balm blossoming was a sight to behold! And now sunflowers of all sorts, Aster, Camas etc. are all over.

Britton, SD

Latitude: 45.8 Longitude: -97.6

Observed by: Sandy
Contact Observer

The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.