Monarchs (11) Flying Directionally in Northwest Texas - Aug. 23
Mike Quinn
recently. The other was from southeast Texas...
Umbarger, Texas - google map
http://tinyurl.com/zc4qf
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Umbarger, Texas
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/buffalo.html
Tex-Mon (TX-Mo...@googlegroups.com)
http://groups.google.com/group/TX-Monarchs
Mike Quinn, Austin
________________________________
From: Lynn_Nymeyer/fws.gov
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 1:24 PM
To: Mike Quinn
Subject: Monarch Butterflies at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Mike:
I do not know if this is important or if you are still interested.
Yesterday, August 23, we began a three day census of our Black-tailed
Prairie Dog Town. This census places us on the prairie dog ground for
one and one half hour. During this time I counted eleven Monarch
Butterflies pass by my location. They were not stopping in their flight
even though numerous varieties of flowering plants were in the area.
During today's census, August 24, I was at the same spot for the same
amount of time and only counted three Monarchs pass by.
Sincerely;
Lynn A. Nymeyer
Refuge Manager
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 179
Umbarger, Texas
79091
(806) 499-3382
Harlen
Mike, I went back to last year's emails of yours and
others to dplex from Aug 29 to Sept 21 and found
more than 10 emails about monarchs, many indicated
monarchs flying directionally ... but the numbers of
monarchs was fascinating. From a year ago ... You
quoted Lynn on Sept 1st "... many flying south -- too
many to count --", then "14 in 30 minutes" (my editing).
Also a report on Sept 16 from near Wimberly that included
"probably" two dozen monarchs on a 100 acre nature preserve.
I think other years would show numbers of monarchs show
when those first real cool fronts make it all the way about the
first of September. Sometimes a tropical low in Gulf is
what triggered the rise in the sightings but from I
can see from a few years back it happens the end of
August, first of September. Some people see them
in random flight, many see them in a definite flight
between S and W, or SW. I don't think anyone is
saying they are going to make it to sanctuaries but
what we see have that determined flight. What I
wonder is why no one in OK, Ark, or LA doesn't see
the same thing ... at least I can't find any sightings.
These monarchs that we caught weren't in diapause,
the females were "with eggs" ... Altus has learned to
feel "them" (I forget the technical term). The females
that come thru in mid to late October and November are
in most cases in diapause (but can change back rather
quickly). If you ever hear of a tree with clusters of
monarchs in the winter (Dec, Jan) along coast I would
be interested if they are truly in diapause for the winter
and can survive like those at the sanctuaries.
Harlen