The Amazing Monarch Migration

• Posted at 9:46 am on September 12, 2012 by laura
• In Conservation & Science Comments: 2

Have you noticed any orange butterflies floating through the air recently? Maybe you've seen them in your backyard, walking through Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks reservations or catching air currents over the road?

If so, you might have seen a monarch butterfly preparing for one of the most astounding migrations on the planet - one that is longer than any other butterfly in the world and is over 1,000 miles!

Monarchs starting in the northern regions of the U.S. are currently beginning to travel to winter roosting sites in the mountains of Mexico. There are also smaller populations of monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains that will be migrating to roosting sites along the California coast.

Since last spring, several generations of monarchs have migrated slowly up the continent. The monarchs make it all the way up to the nothern United States or into Canada to pick up on cues that the days are getting shorter and that it is time for a return journey south. It is these eastern monarchs that feast abundantly on nectar, storing up for their remarkable return journey all the way to the mountains of Mexico.

It is still quite a mystery as to how these butterflies are able to return to their roosting spots a thousand miles away. Monarch Watch was conceived about 20 years ago and this program allows scientists to better understand monarch migration - both in terms of how they complete this incredible journey and how the population is dealing with habit loss, the widespread use of herbicides, and climate change.

One of the primary programs of Monarch Watch is tagging. The Zoo's Conservation & Science is tagging monarchs on Zoo grounds and within the adjacent Brookside Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks. In the process of tagging, monarchs are caught in a butterfly net, a small sticker with a unique code is placed on their wing and they are quickly released.

Later, MonarchWatch researchers in Mexico search through thousands of butterflies to locate these tags. By matching tags with where they were originally placed on the butterfly (for example, in Cleveland), scientists can better understand the monarch migration route.

The best time to see the monarch migration in Northeastern Ohio is between September 8 and 20 with the peak occurring around September 16. As you wander through the zoo or your neighborhood, keep your eyes up and you may see them catching air currents as they begin their journey to the mountains of Mexico. Also look on their host plant, milkweed, to see if you can spot a caterpillar or a new butterfly emerging from a chrysalis! Enjoy witnessing this truly amazing journey!

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks are home to nine certified Monarch WayStations which provide needed habitat for butterflies. Find one in your neighborhood by searching the MonarchWatch Registry and learn how to create your own!