Migrant Monarchs in Clover

     September and October is when most monarch butterflies in northeast North America migrate south to Florida and Mexico to find food during the northern winter.  Most monarchs, it seems, pass through southeastern Pennsylvania in the middle of September.  But on the second of October of this year, while I was out nature exploring near home in New Holland, Pennsylvania, I saw several pretty monarchs in a twelve acre field of fading red clover flowers.
     I watched that field for about an hour and a half on a warm, windy afternoon, scanning it with my 16 power binoculars.  At first I saw several yellow sulphur butterflies fluttering about the red clover blossoms, which was understandable for that time of year.  However, I only spotted one or two monarchs in the air over the clover field at once, but that was enough to keep me interested in looking for more monarchs.  And as I scanned back and forth with binoculars across the field, I began to see more and more monarchs rising from blooms at once, and settling on others.  The field became ever more interesting to me on that sunny, autumn afternoon.
     I soon saw up to six monarch butterflies in the air at once over that hay field.  And after a half hour of watching the monarchs flutter up and drop down all over the field, I estimated there were about twenty of them sipping nectar from red clover flowers in the field that afternoon.  I thought that number of monarchs was fairly remarkable, especially for October.  And I don't think I ever saw so many monarchs in one place at one time.
     The monarchs seemed to "take turns" rising in flight low over the clover field, as they sipped nectar from one red clover blossom, and pink knapweed flower, after another the whole time I was there.  And, interestingly, the monarchs were strong fliers; none of them were tossed about in the wind, but maintained a controlled, purposeful flight at all times.  They fed on nectar as the steady sparrows consume weed and grass seeds in windy fields.  I was impressed!
     Of course, the monarchs were lovely fluttering and floating gracefully in sunlight low over the green field.  Their orange coloring glowed beautifully in the sunshine.      
     I was happy to find those twenty handsome monarchs in the red clover field.  They were inspiring and I couldn't help but think that maybe there's more of them in North America than we realize.  We couldn't possibly look everywhere they are.