Subject: Re: [Homestead] What wildlife did you conserve and observe today
Date: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 07:45:19 -0500
Thanks for asking. The outdoors is so alive right now with our
migratories. My joy this time of year is the migrating insects. I took
my daughter on a much belated summer day off Monday and we went to Cape
May for the most successful nature experience of decades. THOUSANDS of
monarchs covering trees. It reminded me of a long long ago childhood in
Pacific Grove, CA. Each year I go to hot spots on the east coast and my
highest time in Cape May, in the last 18 years, was 300.
I finally got to understand (maybe) the migrating dragonflies so common
with the Monarchs in our field. We saw a stream of butterflies along a
jetty over the water and mixed in were the dragonflies. Birds cycloned
overhead and worked to dart in and grab a tasty dragonfly without
accidentally getting a toxic monarch. There were so many birds daintily
flying to chase the bugs that the Peregrines and Eagles would swoop in
and grab a bird. Awesome. We watched for hours and the dance kept
replaying. We walked the beach until nightfall and went to a roosting
spot to watch a pine tree converted to look like a White Oak with
drooping "leave clumps" made of Monarches with folded wings.
Only question is. We note the butterflies arrive in our area the same
time a certain tree turns exactly the shade of orange of their open
wings. Now we see them become our White Oaks to sleep. If scientists
are right they are poisonous and birds don't hunt them, why are they
camo'd? Do birds need to eat one to learn and personal survival protects
them from being the tastetester?