Date: 09/23/2024

Number: 350

Although the attached photo only shows one Monarch nectaring on some Asters near the tip, this was only one of 150 that I saw on the morning of September 24. These flowers are your clue. The Monarchs roosted above this nectar source. I was fortunate to cross paths with two Monarch enthusiasts visiting the park from the Cambridge area. They journeyed to the tip on the evening of September 23, even though there was no official Monarch hike. These out of town guests hit the jackpot. They observed at least three separate roosts with numbers totalling approximately 350 individuals. This was the biggest roost so far this season. The Monarchs chose a location just north of the furthest south seasonal path. The primary vegetation chosen was, Hackberry, Wild Grape topping the Hackberry, an adjacent Mulberry, a Hop Tree and the bare branch of a leaning dead tree. I did not observe the whole 350 but I am reliably told by these visitors that the roosts were mostly intact when they arrived on the first shuttle on the morning of the 24th. My own observation as I travelled through the Park checking each of the beaches, was that there were single Monarchs at Black Willow and West just hanging about. When I arrived to the tip area, I noticed Monarchs flying north west out of what I later learned was the roost area. I found separate individuals along the west path, roosting in Hackberry trees or heading further north into the park. Clearly it was not a day that they wanted to be on the move. I predict that these Monarchs may be staying, as rain is forecast for the next 24 hours, there is a low pressure system in place, and the wind switched to SSE shortly after sunrise and was forecast to stay that way until sunset.

Observations from the Environment Canada Point Pelee weather station at 18:00 on September 23: temperature 20°C, humidex 25°C, humidity 81%, dew point 17°C, barometric pressure 101.3 kPa
Wind conditions recorded at Harrow AAFC (the nearest wind reporting station to Point Pelee): NNE 7

Point Pelee National Park, ON

Latitude: 41.9 Longitude: -82.5

Observed by: Laura
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