Misplaced monarchs: Clusters of butterflies stuck up north (AP)

[eppur_se_muova]

By SETH BORENSTEIN
Oct. 26, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — Monarch butterflies, those delicate symbols of spring and summer, should mostly be in Texas by now, winging their way to Mexico for the winter.

But Darlene Burgess keeps seeing colorful clusters of them — and she lives in Canada.

“As nice as this is to see, I really wish I wouldn’t see it because they’re running out of time,” said Burgess, who does evening monarch counts at Point Pelee National Park in Canada. “It’s really not good for them.”

It’s not just Canada. Swarms have been seen elsewhere, including near Cape May , New Jersey, at levels more normal for late September and early October.

Scientists say tens of thousands of the butterflies are likely to be stranded far north of where they’d normally be this time of year because of the unusually warm weather and strong winds that have kept them from migrating south, said biologist Elizabeth Howard, director of the monarch tracking non-profit Journey North .
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more: https://www.apnews.com/6f4ab67850684863a8381a6ad9713373/Misplaced-monarchs:-Clusters-of-butterflies-stuck-up-north



Crap. Here in north AL we have a frost advisory for tonight. Hope the monarchs get to fly south in time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Same advisory for So. Ala.

Warmer weather then back on the calendar, so maybe the butterflies can still make it home.

[WhiteTara]

2. That's why I've only seen a half dozen all season

and we've had a hard freeze with nothing left for them to eat. (NW Arkansas)