Date: 10/08/1999

Number: 1

It was a rainy/misty day, cold, with strong winds. I looked outside to see an occasional Monarch butterfly being whipped through the air mercilessly. Throughout the day we saw maybe 50 to 60 Monarchs. A few were lying, helpless and unmoving, on the lawn. We were able to capture only two, as the strong winds whipped them out of our lightly cupped hands. We captured a male and a female. They were larger Monarchs, and their wings were bright and healthy. I did not know that butterflies shiver when cold, however these did, until they warmed up in the house. We placed them in a glass jar with a perforated lid, a leafy elm twig, and nectar. The next day was sunny and beautiful. We released them into the golden morning sunshine. It was a delightful sight to see them soaring up, up, up into the bright blue sky!

Amistad, NM

Latitude: 35.9 Longitude: -103.2

Observed by: Tracey
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