Monarchs

The monarch butterfly may be the most familiar North American butterfly and is considered an iconic pollinator species.  Its wings feature an easily recognizable black, orange and white pattern.

The eastern North American monarch population is notable for its annual southward late-summer/autumn migration.  The monarch butterfly exhibits the most highly evolved migration pattern of any known species of butterfly or moth and perhaps any known insect.  They travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the United States and Canada to central Mexican forests. There, the butterflies hibernate in the mountain forests, where a less extreme climate provides them a better chance to survive, with a corresponding multi-generational return north.  

Aside from the overwintering generation, which accomplished the migration, Monarchs complete their life cycle in four weeks, after creating yet another generation. Each of these generations migrate north, resulting in four generations over the course of the summer, before the migration south begins again.

The latest survey assessing the population of monarch butterflies that winter in Mexico indicates a population decrease of 53% since the previous season. In the 2019-2020 wintering season, the area of forest occupied by monarch butterflies was 7 acres, down from 15 acres in the 2018 - 2019 season.

We can all help with fighting the loss of this species by planting milkweed and other nectar plants from which butterflies can feed and obtain enough energy to continue their journey throughout North America. Plants in the milkweed family are essential for monarch reproduction; it's the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs and that baby larvae feed on.  There are also endless choices of nectar plants that they use for nourishment during the summer and to sustain them along their amazing migration south in the Fall.