Date: 09/13/2019

Number: 95

Over the past four days I have observed an interesting phenomena, one that I may have been overlooking for years. On Tuesday upon exiting Essex Public School after dropping off milkweed leaves for the grade ones, two monarchs flew right in front of my face. On my way to the car I kept noticing more. So I commenced a count for approximately one hour. I noted one per minute on average flying directly towards the school and either around or up and over the roof. Then on my drive home I was noting one per minute as well. I counted by texting myself each time that I saw a Monarch. Wednesday and Thursday the same thing happened. On Thursday I took a drive in a north-east direction from the school and travelled up and down some nearby concession roads that run north/south. I was again noting one monarch per minute with the naked eye for another hour. Many were flying at about the height of half a hydro pole right down to ground level. I noted three struck by vehicles. Every autumn my son has always remarked in his seven years attending Essex Public School that during recess the kids see monarchs. The past couple years that I have been helping in the grade one classes the children have approached me to say they are seeing monarchs in the schoolyard. I may have been overlooking for years the significance of these numbers. Today, it happened again, more monarchs upon exiting the school. So I counted on my drive home out of town and along North Talbot Road at least one per minute. After putting in a load of laundry I went back up the road and stopped at the corner of North Talbot and Essex County Road 23. I sat there for 40 minutes and counted 95. This is an average of two per minute. Would that I could have sat there all day. So amazing. Partly sunny, winds were 135°at 14 km/h and the temperature was 22°C according to the weather function on my mobile phone, when I made my observations today. Most were flying between vehicle height, up to hydro pole height. All well below the windmills.

I am hypothesising that this is an annual migration pathway. Perhaps as they round Lake St. Clair and head southwest is what brings them through the heart of Essex County?

Lakeshore, ON

Latitude: 42.2 Longitude: -82.8

Observed by: Laura
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