Tag: Hampton

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), at Fort Monroe National Monument, Hampton, Virginia. 

I walked the beach at Fort Monroe the day after the remnants of Hurricane Matthew raced through eastern Virginia. Often after a hurricane has passed the air is heavy and still and hot with tropical moisture, but this day the skies were clear, and there was a cold breeze from the north. I watched dozens of Mexico-bound monarchs struggling on the beach in winds that were steady about 20 knots, with much stronger gusts. These hapless butterflies were already storm buffeted, and probably depleted from crossing the Chesapeake Bay on their way south. Sometimes you just can’t catch a break, even after the storm passes and the sky is sunny again. 

Side note: During the storm I listened in amazement to a weatherperson impersonating an actual meteorologist on a local Norfolk news show, who described the hurricane’s winds blowing at 55 knots per hour. This is not a mistake I expect to hear in a nautical town. 

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), at Fort Monroe National Monument, Hampton, Virginia. 

I walked the beach at Fort Monroe the day after the remnants of Hurricane Matthew raced through eastern Virginia. Often after a hurricane has passed the air is heavy and still and hot with tropical moisture, but this day the skies were clear, and there was a cold breeze from the north. I watched dozens of Mexico-bound monarchs struggling on the beach in winds that were steady about 20 knots, with much stronger gusts. These hapless butterflies were already storm buffeted, and probably depleted from crossing the Chesapeake Bay on their way south. Sometimes you just can’t catch a break, even after the storm passes and the sky is sunny again. 

Side note: During the storm I listened in amazement to a weatherperson impersonating an actual meteorologist on a local Norfolk news show, who described the hurricane’s winds blowing at 55 knots per hour. This is not a mistake I expect to hear in a nautical town.