[Leps-l] [leps-talk] Monarch Armageddon

[Paul Cherubini]

On Feb 13, 2013, at 9:00 AM, Chuck Vaughn wrote:

> I remember Paul has documented that a small number of
> west coast Monarchs overwinter in eucalyptus trees at
> Sky West golf coarse in Hayward.

Yep and I've been gradually accumulating videos of monarchs
overwintering in planted stands of eucalyptus or pine trees
on golf courses, cemeteries and city parks in the ultra urbanized
areas of California.  Examples:

San Leandro Marina Golf Course Nov. 15, 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77NIWVT9fHA

Chuck Corica Golf Course Dec. 18, 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLm-Gr5A9E

New Park Mall, Newark, Calif. Dec. 25, 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KyPnYopCnY

Albany Hill, Albany, Calif. Dec. 25, 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdtARyqj9xc

Morro Bay Golf Course Feb. 5, 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX70cjtX29k

A cemetery in San Luis Obispo Feb 4, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrEBTFAlEdw

> It seems to me that the Monarch migration, instead of being
> a fragile phenomenon, must be a robust phenomenon or
> else it wouldn't have survived for so long.

Yep, just look at what happened in Australia,
New Zealand, Spain and Portugal in the late 1800's.
Humans inadvertently (via the emerging steam ship
industry) introduced milkweeds from places like South 
Africa and these milkweeds flourished along roadsides 
and on farmland.  Then at the same time humans inadvertently 
introduced very small numbers of monarchs from North America. 
Then almost overnight the monarch migration and overwintering
phenomenon sprang up in multiple areas of those countries 
and the butterflies overwinter in city parks, cemeteries, clumps
of trees on farmland, etc. just as they do in California: 
http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/photo1.jpg

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.