Fw: Connecticut Monarchs

[Linda & Jeff Ives]

This is from the Monarch Watch d-plex list.  I tagged at Hammonassett yesterday, Sept4th.
~Linda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Linda & Jeff Ives 
To: dplex-l at listproc.cc.ku.edu 
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 9:20 PM
Subject: Connecticut Monarchs


I tagged 45 Monarchs at Hammonasset State Park, on the shores of Long Island Sound in Madison, Ct this afternoon.  There were plenty there!  At any one time I could see 20-30 in the butterfly garden or flying overhead.  Only once was a butterfly re-caught that I had already tagged in a 1 1/2 - 2 hour time period.
Most of the butterflies were male, 31 male, 10 female and 4 that escaped after I tagged, before I could determine their sex.  My daughter pointed out that she was netting her butterflies away from the garden and in the cedar or evergreen trees nearby, and she netted more females.  Generally, the males were nectaring, and the females were staying in the trees.
During the 2 hours I was there, from 5-7 pm, I saw 4 couples mating.  Twice was with a ragged female...possibly it was the same female.  This got me thinking, do migrating monarchs still mate, but not reproduce?  
In the past when I have tagged at Hammonasset there is a constant stream of Monarchs that come across the harbor to the garden in a directional line.  I did see many come across the harbor today, but there were Monarchs everywhere and I wonder if they were preparing to roost for the evening.  

It was the best day I've had in years.  I've saved the rest of my tags for another day, but I certainly could have tagged many more.
A family was having a cookout nearby and the children were walking up to the monarchs and plucking them off the butterfly bushes with their fingers for me. I did teach them to use a net though because one time they only grabbed one wing and it damaged a butterfly, so I asked them not to do it.  So I sat at a picnic table and my daughter and her helpers took turns netting the butterflies.
~Linda
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