I describe the fall 1999 migration of 5 Lepidoptera and 4 Odonata species north along St. Joseph Peninsula, Gulf County, in the Florida Panhandle. Highest counts were for the Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae (L.), Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) which accounted for 58% of the insects counted; the highest rate was 3,162/h, with an estimate of total season migration of over 250,000 individuals. The common green darner dragonfly (Anax junius (Drury 1773) Odonata: Aeshnidae) was the next most common with a maximum rate of 3,297/h. The median and peak period for these two species was the first week in October. The observed flight pattern may demonstrate a reluctance to cross open water.
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Gary Sprandel (2001) studied this question.