New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
Monarchs and more this week.
Tuesday 09/06/2005
This last week has started the dribble of monarch butterflies from the north. Although I must say I have only seen a few so far and by now I think there should be far more on a "normal" year. I spotted my first ones last Thursday while placing some wire fencing and mouse guards around a couple of replacement apple trees on the Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area in Dover. I have planed two orchards of crab apple trees on this 300 acre parcel in the last decade. I had planned to replace a couple of the dead ones for a year or two, and finally got it done, but needed to fix the deer fence around them. Most years the fields on the parcel have a constant flow of monarchs over them by the first of September. I did see three or four monarchs, but that was all. There was a massive die-off of monarchs last winter in Mexico where they winter. So the population is down right now. I have seen a couple others around my home over the last few days but still no numbers as usual. This is a good time to see them if you are in a boat on a lake as they gently drift by. I saw hundreds of the flutter by in the late summer of 1978 while working on Wentworth Lake in Wolfeboro. I also have seen them while out at sea by the Isle of Shoals in early September. Still it is intriguing to think that the monarchs passing you by here are destined for Central Mexico.
And it is not the butterflies moving en mass right now. Flocks of birds are darting about the afternoon skies right now too. This week begins, what I sense, is the nervous time of year for a lot of critters. We are a week or two from a killing frost in much of NH. It just seems like many animals are on edge right now. Even the crows have been calling more around my house lately. Hardly a minute goes by that I can't stop to listen and hear crow activity. I don't know what the fuss is all about, but there is a fuss going on constantly. Blue jays too seem to be talking more right now.
A glance out my home-office window this morning shows a subtle change as I scan up the Suncook River. Last week there were single leaves that had changed to orange or red for the most part. Today there are several orange glows doubled by the reflection on the rivers surface. Whole branches or more have changed color the last few days. There is a brownish cast to my horizon as some leaves have simply turned brown while on the trees. They certainly are showing their age today. After three days of working around here I am feeling, and showing, mine!
