Migrations --- Have you seen one?
Aug 28, 2018 5:44:28 GMT
cabintom, skandinavisk, and 1 more like this
Post by trehopr1 on Aug 28, 2018 5:44:28 GMT
During my formative years as a young enthusiast in this hobby I had 2 rather remarkable experiences involving a form of insect migration such as I have never seen since. I was all of perhaps 10 or 11 years old and living in Illinois. One Friday evening in September my father came home from his job in the early evening and as we sat at the kitchen table for dinner he said to me son "do you want to go with me tomorrow morning and see a whole lot of butterflies?" Of coarse, you know the answer.
So the next morning, I got up and dressed and of coarse grabbed the net and bottles. Off we headed to dad's work. Dad worked as a switchman at a local Railyard (back in the day when being a "switchman" was a real life paying job). The poor man spent his days jumping tracks and switching the different lines with lantern in hand (at night). It was a physical, responsible, and somewhat scary task doing this in a busy freight yard with boxcars and trains going to and fro.
Anyway, we stopped the car at a dirt parking lot nearest a line of tracks which headed away from the yard. He then said "Ok son, were gonna head a little ways down these tracks and you are going to see butterflies". As we headed down the tracks initially I saw nothing of consequence. Just some scrub weeds and some old rail ties laying off to the side which had been replaced and left in the weeds. We ambled down the tracks about 1 and 1/2 city blocks distance and it was then I saw what dad lamented about.
On one side of the tracks a long grove (maybe a 1/2 block long) of sunflowers were in full bloom; and the visitors to this banquet of big yellow flowers was none less than our Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). They were there by the thousands ....
They were absolutely everywhere. Coming, going, hopping flower to flower, and soaring above the patch. I managed 4 or 5 before I had my fill and then I just stood briefly and admired the spectacle before me; then ambled off with dad back to the car. A sight I have never forgotten nor have I had the privilege to see again.
On only one other occasion did I experience something of the same matter. It too involved our native Monarch butterfly. On this occasion perhaps 3 years later (and again in September); I was having dinner at the table with my family. A neighbor boy (friend) knocked at the front door and told my mom there was "a huge branch on the neighbor's tree 3 doors down and it's full of butterflies". The family left the table and stepped out to see this strange report. Sure enough, a huge branch on the neighbor's tree --- along with several others were covered in Monarch butterflies. Probably 2000 or 3000 butterflies all gathering to "roost" En masse overnight.
Well everyone watched for about 10-15 minutes and then walked away. I of coarse got my net and thought I would get a few more. Well, a couple swings of the net at some flying in scared the whole lot and within 5 or 6 minutes most were gone (flying off hopefully to roost elsewhere in safety). This too is another experience that I have never seen again and probably never will...
If you have and interesting story like this of something which you have personally experienced and want to share than feel free to tell us all about it !
So the next morning, I got up and dressed and of coarse grabbed the net and bottles. Off we headed to dad's work. Dad worked as a switchman at a local Railyard (back in the day when being a "switchman" was a real life paying job). The poor man spent his days jumping tracks and switching the different lines with lantern in hand (at night). It was a physical, responsible, and somewhat scary task doing this in a busy freight yard with boxcars and trains going to and fro.
Anyway, we stopped the car at a dirt parking lot nearest a line of tracks which headed away from the yard. He then said "Ok son, were gonna head a little ways down these tracks and you are going to see butterflies". As we headed down the tracks initially I saw nothing of consequence. Just some scrub weeds and some old rail ties laying off to the side which had been replaced and left in the weeds. We ambled down the tracks about 1 and 1/2 city blocks distance and it was then I saw what dad lamented about.
On one side of the tracks a long grove (maybe a 1/2 block long) of sunflowers were in full bloom; and the visitors to this banquet of big yellow flowers was none less than our Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). They were there by the thousands ....
They were absolutely everywhere. Coming, going, hopping flower to flower, and soaring above the patch. I managed 4 or 5 before I had my fill and then I just stood briefly and admired the spectacle before me; then ambled off with dad back to the car. A sight I have never forgotten nor have I had the privilege to see again.
On only one other occasion did I experience something of the same matter. It too involved our native Monarch butterfly. On this occasion perhaps 3 years later (and again in September); I was having dinner at the table with my family. A neighbor boy (friend) knocked at the front door and told my mom there was "a huge branch on the neighbor's tree 3 doors down and it's full of butterflies". The family left the table and stepped out to see this strange report. Sure enough, a huge branch on the neighbor's tree --- along with several others were covered in Monarch butterflies. Probably 2000 or 3000 butterflies all gathering to "roost" En masse overnight.
Well everyone watched for about 10-15 minutes and then walked away. I of coarse got my net and thought I would get a few more. Well, a couple swings of the net at some flying in scared the whole lot and within 5 or 6 minutes most were gone (flying off hopefully to roost elsewhere in safety). This too is another experience that I have never seen again and probably never will...
If you have and interesting story like this of something which you have personally experienced and want to share than feel free to tell us all about it !