Date: 08/31/2020

Number: 500

This roost of butterflies came Aug.31 and left this a.m. Sept.6,2020. We had two smaller roost of 50-100 earlier and they left Aug. 30 2020. They left on NE winds. We stickered 76 butterflies altogether from these roosts.

The big roost of 500-1,000 came Mon. Aug. 31 in the morning.

We have lots of trees and evergreens all around our farmhouse and down both sides of our lane-way so they can always find protection from the winds or rain. As we go from tree to tree we see hundreds fly out and estimate the amounts.

The butterflies nectar in the afternoons in the 80 acres of clover and trefoil flowers.

The night temperatures would have averaged 15 degrees C.

The big roost left Sun. 10-11a.m. and it was a calm day but the wind was not NE and that surprised us.

We only let the farmer take off one cut of hay and then the flowers come out and provide lots of nectar for the butterflies, but some years it is not at the right stage. Last year we hardly had any come and the year before we had thousands as well.

It is such a joy to sticker them and we want to get our own net and get stickers and do more of that. Many people come and enjoy them here as well!

Saugeen Shores, ON

Latitude: 44.4 Longitude: -81.4

Observed by: Elaine
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