Seafaring Monarchs...

[mbpi at juno.com]

I had forgotten to mention (as Paul Cherubini brought up) that the
pelagic monarchs I saw were flying lower than the boat I was on, maybe a
couple of feet above the water...

Lake Michigan is expansive and the western shores of the state of
Michigan cannot be seen unless one is high up on a skyscraper's
observation deck.  I knew that butterflies could alight on water
temporarily, providing a big wave didn't saturate them, as I assured the
other passengers who were concerned about their progress.  When I worked
in the butterfly tent, I often scooped seemingly "dead butterflies" off
the surface of the landscaped pools, only to have them "spring to life"
after their wings dried out!

Still, I wondered if maybe they were "returning" monarchs, i.e. a late
brood heading to their Michigan origins...since it is much too early for
them to be heading south?

They are, indeed, a marvel!

M.B. Prondzinski
USA

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