by texas butterfly » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:08 am
Found out more information about Texas Monarch Watch. From a Texas Monarch Watch leader, so this is good and valid information. Actually spoke with Mike Quinn and this is what I understood. So, disclaimer this is how I'm reporting the information and hopefully I understood correctly.
I had been reading on Internet and also the Texas Monarch Watch packet information and it was confusing to me so hopefully this will help someone else if you are confused like me.
Per what I learned yesterday. I am in Houston area. We have Monarch's all year round so Texas Monarch Watch doesn't want us to report every Monarch we see. Only if we see 10+ Monarchs at one time as this would indicate a southern migration in the Fall. Also, Texas Monarch Watch has limited resources and to collect that amount of data would be unmanageable.
So, the rule of thumb seems to be double-digit sightings of groups of Monarchs during the times in the Spring and the Fall when Monarchs would be migrating thru the Houston/Gulf Coast area. I believe he said this was March/April and October for fall.
If you look at the Texas Monarch watch packet it looks like the middle part of the state is where the Monarch's typically are found migrating and reported. I believe in northeast Texas some had been reported in the past also. So, check the map in Texas Monarch watch to see about the area you live in. The map indicates where some of the large groups have been reported.
Also, found if you live in an area where there are lots of trees that this will make it harder to see masses of Monarchs migrating. Apparently, this could be due to Monarchs flying at tree level and best place to see migrations would be over open prarie, etc... and then maybe you'd spot them clustered in a single tree in the prarie, etc...
Hope I kinda summarized what I learned and understood. Hope this helps someone else.
For the most part, because I where I live, I was referred to Monarch Watch. And this is where I'm at. I'd just like to say this is an awesome board and lots of information can be learned by the discussions on this board.
I still working on my butterfly and pollinator garden and have made big progress this past several weeks. While I was working in garden, a Monarch gave me a visit and possibly two different visited me this morning. The female Monarch left me 11 eggs which I have harvested and have the leaves sitting on moist paper towels. If I saw two Monarchs this morning, maybe on of them was DOS, whom I released last Friday morning.
Planted more RED pentas, Milkweed and Black eyed susans.
Hopefully soon, I can apply for and get my garden officially declared a Monarch WayStation.