Date: 09/30/2025

Number: 9

Attended the evening Monarch hike at the tip of Point Pelee National Park. Arrived approximately 18:00 hours. Checked all the usual spots and was unable to sight a single Monarch. Unseasonably warm weather. Sunny, light wind from the east, high pressure system in place. Perfect day for Monarchs to stay aloft. The only thing that could possibly bring them to the tip would be darkness. Visitors observed one Monarch alighting in a Hackberry tree on the West Path. I was unable to locate it once it did. Hike participants departed as sunset was nearing and the stable flies were biting. Slathered in bug spray, I decided to stick around until sunset. First one, then two together started coming in off the west side of the tip south of the dangerous currents poster after the sun had set. Only one came in off of the east side. All headed to the interior. With the fading light and restricted access, I was only able to locate a few individuals once they were roosted, using my binoculars. One very late arrival came at 19:30 just as I was getting on my bike to cycle back as darkness was descending. Of the ones I was able to observe, one chose a Hackberry, another chose a Mulberry and the last one with some difficulty found purchase on a brown leaf of a Cottonwood with a western exposure.
Apologies for the poor photo quality. Using my smart phone after sunset and this individual was quite high up.

Leamington, ON

Latitude: 41.9 Longitude: -82.5

Observed by: Laura
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