Date: 08/28/2021

Number: 50

This is an estimate. My husband saw monarchs all along Bloom Rd in clusters, mostly sitting on the dirt road, I assume looking to puddle (but there hadn't been any recent rain so there was no water). I drove back down the road a few minutes later to see what was up but by that time there were fewer (maybe 2-3 dozen) and most were sitting alone, not in groups, in the middle of the road or flying alongside it--probably hungry and tired since I discovered there is little nectar along this road at this time of year. I kept stopping the car to make sure they moved off the road and at one point came across a dead monarch and another injured monarch that I took home hoping that after giving it nectar and some rest, it would recover. Unfortunately that little male's forewing sustained an injury where his wing joins his body and he hasn't been able to fly (not a simple tear in the surface of the wing itself or I would try a repair). I raise monarchs and have 3 acres on which I've planted milkweed and nectar flowers, which is why I wanted to try to help this monarch. I haven't seen this many monarchs in our area before, so I'd guess this is the leading edge of the migration.

Alpena, MI

Latitude: 45.1 Longitude: -83.4

Observed by: Catherine
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