The Monarch Migration

In hindsight, I should have started this blog to coordinate with the beginning of the monarch migration. I am a little late so let's catch up. Every year, monarch butterflies complete a two-way migration over the course of multiple generations. At the end of summer, they fly from the northern US and Canada travelling mostly along the US East coast,overwinter in Mexico, and then head back north in the spring. There are also western migration routes, including ones that pass through Arizona, and some monarchs overwinter in southern California. Check out their migration on the map from a conservation status by Nature Serve and The Xerces Society.

  Jepsen, S., D. F. Schweitzer, B. Young, N. Sears, M. Ormes, and S. H. Black. 2015. Conservation Status and Ecology 

     of Monarchs in the United States. 36 pp. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, and the Xerces Society for

 Invertebrate Conservation, Portland, Oregon. 

Each year around mid-August a new generation of monarch butterflies is born and prepares for the trip. Although it may not seem like it here in Arizona, temperatures are dropping around the country. This environmental cue is saying one very important thing to the monarchs, "MIGRATE!" Earlier this month, the first monarch sightings were reported meaning that the migration has begun. Now monarchs will perform a task that no other known butterfly undergoes: making the long trip to Mexico. There are many road bumps they may hit along the way, and many landmarks ahead. With this blog, I will help you to experience the migration of the monarchs,and in the process share information about monarchs and ways to get involved in their conservation. Thank you for stopping by- more to come soon!