[Leps-l] monarchs, reversal of orientation and overwintering temperatures

Paul Cherubini monarch at saber.net
Fri Feb 22 00:33:19 EST 2013


On Feb 21, 2013, at 8:57 PM, MexicoDoug wrote:

> Still the tethered flight set up is cool, Paul, you
> ought to get one of those to play with!

Doug, the tethered flight set up has never been shown to
reliably reveal the migratory flight directions of free
living monarchs in various parts of the USA.

Example: The actual fall migratory flight directions of
monarchs in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona
in September are known to range from Northwest to Southeast
like this:
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/9093/northamericat.jpg
http://swmonarchs.org/az-recoveries_wild.php
even when the butterflies have been tagged and released
at the same time on the same day (which rules out
the "they were blown this or that way" theory).

But the tethered flight simulator would likely show the
butterflies heading only southwest which is not what 
really happens.  To date the researchers who use the tethered
flight simulator havn't shown any interest in testing it
out in States like Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona
in order to find how the butterflies would orient.

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.




More information about the Leps-l mailing list