This generation of monarchs lives much longer than the generation born earlier in the year. The spring generation only lives 4 to 6 weeks. But the fall generation lives 6 to 9 months!
If you look at migration paths you'll see that they funnel into Texas and down into South America. I'm fortunate enough to live right in the middle of this funneling path and get to see the migration.
Only two years in my past have I noticed the migration. Perhaps some years they are more abundant than normal, or less abundant. Or maybe they don't always cross over my area of North Texas. Or maybe I've just been too wrapped up in my own life to notice them.
But this year I have, and it seems to be the most abundant group I've seen in my life! They were so thick this morning I couldn't count them all. I started to count just to get an idea of how many I might have seen, and in a 1/2 mile of travel I counted 50. That means I easily saw hundreds this morning. Hundreds upon hundreds. :D It was incredible!
Just one more thing I always forget about the fall that I love. Monarch migration.
Copyright © 2003, Jim Cline http://www.jimcline.com/
3 comments:
Awesome, Sarah. Just awesome. How lucky you are to see them!
Oh how beautiful! Is that one of your photos or from the net? You should totally take your camera on your walk tomorrow!
It's from the net silly. Hence the link below the pic. ;)
Unfortunately they don't come through Texas like that.
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