Date: 09/29/2019

Number: 2000

This was my fourth visit to this amazing roost that has been present since late August, according to the property owner and original reporter of the roost. I'm only estimating how many are here at this moment in time because it was getting too dark to see all of them by the time we finished tagging 50 of them.

We walked around the property with flashlights and it was clear that they were still occupying the usual cedar trees in high numbers, though not as densely as when I first saw them on September 17th.

Our goal this evening was to use the final 50 Monarch Watch tags I had. With a large net, it was easy to capture them and we could have done many, many more had we had more tags.

The monarchs were very robust, strong, and their wings almost felt leathery in comparison to those earlier in the season (the non-migratory).

Wings measured from 48mm to 54mm, with most being 50-52mm. Nearly all looked very fresh and undamaged. Abdomens were quite plump, no doubt due to the abundant nectar source adjacent to the site. A large field of blooming clover was to the north and to the west.

Weather today was cloudy with intermittent light rain, and warm. It was 70 degrees at the time we first got there at 6:30. Winds were light at about 5 mph and out of the northeast.

It seems as if the monarchs will be here until the last possible day before cold weather sets in. It's clearly a favored location, though the owner said it's the first time in over 30 years that they've been there like this.

Photo attached is from my second visit to this roost on September 18th, when we spotted a female white monarch. This photo shows it in the cluster, but we brought it down to photograph the dorsal side, and then released it. A very special sighting!

Woodburn, IN

Latitude: 41.1 Longitude: -84.8

Observed by: Kylee
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