Date: 09/21/2019

Number: 1000

Roosting on limbs overhanging Elliott Ditch

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

We first noticed lots of monarchs on Saturday evening, Sept 21, while working in our backyard. I thought it was odd but didn’t look around too much. The next morning, Sunday around 11:00 am, I saw so many I decided to take a closer look at the trees near a stream/ditch about 300 feet from the house. Then I realized the trees were covered with monarchs. They appeared to be warming up and taking flight. These were trees on the north side of the ditch and I didn’t think to look at the trees along the bank at the time and I also didn’t take note the weather at the time other than it was really windy. We took a few photos and video and the grandkids all took a walk through the trees. They butterflies were everywhere. About half in trees and the others were flying around.

Sunday evening around 6 p.m., my daughter and I went to see if any were still in the trees and that is when we noticed the trees along the bank had lots and lots of monarchs settling in for the night. Most every limb along the 400-500 feet had monarchs roosting. My daughter took photos with a better camera. It was hard to get pics as many of the limbs were low hanging. Some branches had 30-40 each best I could count. Again it was windy.

Sunday night it began raining around 8pm - not hard but steady for about an hour or so maybe. In the night it rained much harder for maybe hour or so? When I went to look this morning, it was really wet but there were still several butterflies hanging on the the branches. I checked this afternoon after sun came out and the appear to all have left other that a few flying around.

I looked up the weather reported at Purdue University which is 4 or so miles to our NW.
Sunday 8AM 69, Wind 6 mp SSW
Sunday 11:30?AM 81 Wind 13 mp SSW with gusts up to 26 mp
Sunday 6PM, 82, Wind 8 mp, S, Gusts of 11 mp
Sunday 8-9PM or so rain
Monday 3am-6am rain

As for nectar sources, several people still have flowering plants in their backyards along the ditch

The butterflies were shielded from the wind down low in the ditch Sunday night…however it did rain

Lafayette, IN

Latitude: 40.4 Longitude: -86.9

Observed by: Linda
Contact Observer

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