Date: 10/17/2021

Number: 500

Waterloo Park in downtown Austin had 100s of healthy Monarchs fueling up on the mist flower.

[Additional information contributed by observer, added by Journey North, 10/18/21]:

Waterloo Park (www.waterloogreenway.org)
There are 11 acres with trails through incredible native plantings on a nicely-sloping hillside ranging from shade to full sun. We wandered the whole area over the course of about 2½ hours from about 11am to 1:30pm and saw more Monarchs than I’ve ever seen in one setting (other than Rosario!). I said there were 100’s in my description and asked my wife toward the end about how many we saw total. We both agreed on the number 500, but that is a true guesstimate over many acres and two+ hours. The blue mistflower was the hands-down favorite for the Monarchs (there were also Queens). They weren’t really paying much attention to the other flowers so the mist flower must have been especially ripe – and it was one of the main flowering plants there. They were all staying low and nectaring. None were leaving so I can imagine it was quite a spectacle later in the day as more surely arrived. There was a lot of potential cover so I wondered if any roosted there overnight. Bright blue sky with calm winds and about 75 degrees.

Austin, TX

Latitude: 30.3 Longitude: -97.7

Observed by: Scott
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