Right now in the mid Atlantic states and across latitudes 31-37 it is peak monarch butterfly migration season. There are no butterflies in the world that migrate like the monarchs. Millions of them travel up to 3,000 miles in their two-way migration, a pattern that most closely resembles a whale’s migration. One of the greatest mysteries is how monarchs are able to find their way each year, many times they even return to the same tree to roost. Unlike birds or whales, monarchs only make the round trip once and it is their children’s grandchildren that return the following fall to the exact same place! Amazing!
If you’d like to get involved, Monarch Watch is an educational conservation outreach program sponsored by the University of Kansas that involves school children in the counting and tagging of monarchs throughout their migration. This program is monitoring the effects of deforestation in Mexico, habitat loss, global warming and agricultural practices. This fall, for example, large numbers of monarchs are migrating where typically only a few are seen. Monarch roosts appeared last week across western Kansas, and even northwestern Oklahoma and Texas. This is nearly 200 miles off course for them. I wonder what will happen next, will they continue moving west, drop down to Mexico and rejoin their course, can the dry western climate support them?
If you are anywhere near Encinitas, CA, there is also a huge vivarium open to the public April through November that shows the butterflies in all stages of their life cycle, called The Monarch Program.
Connect with A Day’s Outing on Facebook and Twitter!
