The monarchs are migrating, gently flitting their way south

[MadHound]

Well, another sign of fall here in mid Missouri. The monarch butterflys are passing through as they make their way down to Mexico. I realize that lots of creatures are migrating and otherwise getting ready for winter(the groundhog out back is very rolly-polly, having doubled her weight in the past month) but the monarch migration always amazes me. Here we have an insect, with wings thinner than paper and no bigger than a leaf, making it's way thousands of miles every year.

And the sheer number of them! I can go out on my deck and see fifty of the beauties fluttering by. I find them to be absolutely beautiful. And I hope that you can experience this butterfly migration in person sometime. If you wish to attract monarchs plant some milkweed for them, for they love to lay their eggs in milkweed.

I'm off to go watch some more float by. Cheers!

[nannygoat]

1. Really neat website/project

that tracks Monarchs. I saw a show about this group on the Discovery Channel not too long ago.

Monarch Watch
http://www.monarchwatch.org/

I wish I was in an area where there were lots of them (I'm in NC). Thanks for your post!

[cally]

2. Probably the most amazing natural

phenomenon I've seen is the Monarch migration. There's a small grove in Santa Cruz and Monterey CA where the monarchs stay for awhile. They just cluster there, all together. When it warms up, they seem to simultaneously take off and the whole sky is filled with butterflies. I recommend it to anyone who can see this.

[BrotherBuzz]

6. Cally, they are in your own backyard, too...

assuming you still live in Mill Valley. I've seen them in the Eucalyptus groves on Da Silva Island, at the Baptist Seminary in Strawberry, at Fort Baker (under the Golden Gate bridge), and Kirby Cove (just west of bridge). Mrs. T showed me these secret places when I was a child.

[trof]

3. Now arriving on track 9

in coastal Alabama.
Here come the Monarchs.

[roguevalley]

4. They are awesome. They hang out on a few trees in Mexico all winter,

right?

[bif]

5. they hang out on a mountain in Mexico

and I hear delvelopers have their eyes on the area where they winter over.