Date: 08/19/2022

Number: 100

Daughter saw 2 “waves “ of monarchs while grandchildren was in pool. Temp 82 calm winds approximately 5:30 flying northwest. a large amount was unable to count Thought it was a flock of birds but a bird flew between them and realized they were monarchs was unable to get pictures Hope this helps.

[Additional information contributed by observer and added by Journey North on 08/24/2022]:

At first I thought it was a flock of starlings (if that helps understand the size of the group), so my estimation was just based on the size of the groups and how many “birds” I thought it would be. Honestly it was just a number to indicate a LOT of butterflies.

It did not take them long to fly over. By the time I realized they were not birds, they were already too far away for me to get my phone to take a picture. It was about 5:30 EDT.

They were flying directionally. They were above the ridge of our pole barn. I’d estimate they were 30-40 feet above the yard. If it helps, there is a large field of milkweed less than 1/2 mile to the northwest. They have also roosted in our trees twice before and were flying directly toward a large stand of trees, so perhaps they were getting ready to roost? Just wondering why they would have been flying northwest instead of south.

It was calm and warm. It was about 82 degrees.

Greensburg, IN

Latitude: 39.3 Longitude: -85.4

Observed by: Marilyn
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