An Incredible Journey

An Incredible Journey is the flight of the Monarch Butterfly. Each fall, North American monarchs travel from their summer breeding grounds to overwintering locations. East of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs travel up to an astonishing 3,000 miles to central Mexico, whereas the shorter migration west of the Rockies is to the California coast. 

Decreasing day length and temperatures, along with aging milkweed and fewer nectar sources trigger a change in monarchs; this change signifies the beginning of the migratory generation. 

Similar to the Hummingbird as I mentioned last week. Amazing how these tiny little creatures both travel farther then most giant birds.

Orientation is not well understood in insects. In monarchs, orientation is especially mysterious. How do millions of monarchs start their southbound journey from all over eastern and central North America and end up in a very small area in the mountains of central Mexico?

 From across the eastern U.S. and southern Canada, monarchs funnel toward Mexico. Along the way, they find refuge in stopover sites with abundant nectar sources and shelter from harsh weather. Upon reaching their destination in central Mexico beginning in early November.

Scientist say they do not learn the route from their parents since only about every fourth to fifth generation of North American monarch migrates. Therefore, it is certain that monarchs rely on their instincts rather than learning to find overwintering sites.

What kind of instincts might they rely on? Other animals use celestial cues like the sun, moon, or stars), the earth’s magnetic field, landmarks, mountain ranges or bodies of water.

Of these, the first two are considered to be the most likely cues that monarchs use, and consequently have been studied the most.

So when I see a monarch like this one who just stopped by my yard for one day, I imagine the incredible journey this little one is on. They have no worries about anything except survival, getting to their destination and continuing life as is written.

An Incredible Journey

Sandra J

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