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Fall 2001
Journey South News will be posted on Thursdays: Aug. 30, Sep. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov. 1...or until the monarchs arrive in Mexico!
- Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: August 30, 2001
Perhaps traveling over your own head right now--or clustered by the hundreds in a nearby tree--the annual monarch butterfly migration to Mexico is underway! Now at a peak in the northern mid-continent, people there are dazzled by the beauty of fall "butterfly trees." How might you count so many butterflies? Practice some migration math while waiting for the migration to fly by, and plan to map the peak migration all the way to Mexico. - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: September 6, 2001
The migration through the Midwest is now at a peak in Iowa, and the first clear push was evident in the Northeast last week. Why do monarchs migrate, we wonder as we witness their spectacular migration. The ultimate cause is tied to their evolutionary history, say scientists. And the Midwestern prairie ecosystem was their historic center of breeding. With this history in mind, we visited the prairie with Dr. Lincoln Brower, whose own history is as closely tied to monarchs as the monarchs are to the prairie. - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: September 13, 2001
In the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on America, Craig Tufts, Chief Naturalist of the National Wildlife Federation, wrote from his home outside Washington, D.C. Against this sorrowful backdrop, the monarch migration is now in full swing in the east, and peak migration continues across Iowa's skies and points southward. Check your "migration math" and learn why the transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis is a critical stage in the life history of the monarch. - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: September 20, 2001
The first monarchs have already reached the Mexican sanctuaries--perhaps a full month early! Meanwhile, millions of southbound monarchs fill the skies across eastern North America. As they pass overhead you probably wonder--where will those butterflies be in a few hours, days, or weeks? Tagged monarchs reveal how fast some monarchs migrate. Also, Dr. Brower describes the biological miracle that takes place inside a developing chrysalis. - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: September 27, 2001
The migration is now moving across the skies of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and into Texas. How high do monarch butterflies fly during fall migration? As high as the clouds? Higher than the naked eye can see? Dr. Calvert responds and suggests an experiment to answer that final question. Monarchs met spiders along the migration trail last week. With how many species do monarchs interact in a year? We suggest you keep track--you may be surprised! - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: October 4, 2001
The migration is only approaching its peak in Texas, and observers there are in for a treat. Meanwhile, with cold weather approaching in northern areas, many students have written to ask, Will my monarch make it to Mexico? What do tagging data suggest? And how far can monarchs fly in a single day? - Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: October 11, 2001
Sightings from south of the U.S./Mexican border have begun to arrive. Meanwhile, monarchs continue to move across Texas in good numbers, and the migration is still streaming down the East Coast. "Vimos unas cinco monarcas por minuto y en la carretera a Ciudad Acuna." How many monarchs per minute did Profesora Herrera see? Does scent attract monarchs to the same roosts each night? How would you test that hypothesis, and what has Dr. Calvert learned? - The First Monarchs Have Arrived!
It?s Official: Three independent sources have confirmed that the first monarchs reached the sanctuaries in Mexico last week. How do they find this tiny speck on the planet? It's 11,000 times smaller than the region across which they migrate. That's like finding a _____ on a football field! - Monarch Migration Update: October 25, 2001
As millions upon millions of monarchs approach the Mexican sanctuaries, Dr. Bill Calvert describes their pathway through Mexico. Trace the journey on your map and look for the turns which Dr. Calvert finds surprising. Do all monarchs go to Mexico? Tagging data from Florida raise some interesting questions! - FINAL Monarch Migration Update:
November 1, 2001
The long migration to Mexico is now coming to an end. Imagine a marathon, with monarchs crossing the finish line each day by the thousands. They've come from across the continent and are crossing a line only 73 miles wide! Farewell from Journey North's director, Elizabeth Howard, who's heading for Mexico to catch up with the monarchs:. "Although you won't hear from us during the weeks ahead, we'll be busy arranging ways to take you along when Journey North begins again next February. Here are the plans we'll be putting into place."
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