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Fall 2002

Journey South News will be posted on Fridays:
Aug. 30, Sep. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov. 1...or until the monarchs arrive in Mexico!

Journey South News

• Monarch Migration Update: August 30, 2002
  The migration to Mexico is underway, though off to a slow start compared to what we witnessed last fall. Every year at this time, thousands of people tag monarch butterflies. Here's a story about a monarch tag that traveled round-trip. Grab a net and tag a monarch with the Murphys. Tom has made many interesting observations, for instance: When monarchs are caught in his tent they always gather on the same side. On which side do you think they gather? Why?

• Monarch Migration Update: Sept 6, 2002
  Almost 100 people reporting migration sightings during the last week, but people described the migration so far as lackluster and are hoping it’s just late. The first strong cold front of the season did push through on Monday, and several people noted their first nighttime roosts in the north. How do monarchs know which way to fly? New research sheds light on monarch navigation. For monarchs, the sun serves as a clock and a compass.

• Monarch Migration Update: Sept 13, 2002
  A classic fall cold front spread across the monarch's range this week,and observers everywhere noted its effect. Masses of dragonflies were seen traveling with the monarchs, like an escort of miniature helicopters. Where are the dragonflies going? And who eats THEM along the way? During fall migration, some lucky people have monarchs resting in their yards at overnight roosts. Mr. Viger of Campbell, MN is one such person. What relationship has he noticed between wind, weather and monarch migration?
• Monarch Migration Update: Sept 20, 2002
  The migration pressed southward in the Midwest last week, and the East had its first clear migratory push. "All this week we have been enjoying the continued migration of monarchs south," wrote Mrs. Olsen's class in Mystic, CT. Last week we practiced estimating the numbers of monarchs at an overnight roost. Now let's estimate the pace of migration when monarchs are traveling overhead. Here's an important tip: When you watch for monarchs, watch your watch!

• Monarch Migration Update: Sept 27, 2002
  This news just in: The very first monarchs--only two--were spotted in the sanctuary region. How do you interpret these early sightings? The first waves of monarchs don't typically arrive until mid to late October. Every fall, hurricane season occurs during migration. How might the hurricanes affect monarchs? We've heard some interesting stories. Migration is not for babies! Why it's impossible to see a baby monarch migrating?
• Monarch Migration Update: October 4, 2002
  Migration reports arrived this week from points across the monarch's eastern range. On a picnic 50 miles from home, one woman found a butterfly she'd tagged herself! What adaptations do monarch butterflies and bald eagles share as they soar in thermals? Pull out your atlas and tell us which Mexican states you think the migration will travel through. And as you prepare to send symbolic monarchs to Mexico, why not buy your butterfly a tourist's ticket and help give real monarchs a safe place to spend the winter?
• Monarch Migration Update: October 11, 2002
  The migration is spread out across its range, with single monarchs beginning to appear near the sanctuaries and large overnight roosts still being sighted way up in Iowa. Students in Arkansas bid goodbye to a monarch this week, but that was not their last encounter with it. How many miles per hour did it travel? Through which Mexican states do you think the migration will travel? Which costs more a movie or a monarch sanctuary visit?

• Monarch Migration Update: October 18, 2002
  We know at least six arrived at the finish line in Mexico last week! More are expected to reach the sanctuaries soon. Meanwhile, a strong cold front pushed good numbers of monarchs into Texas and across the Mexican border. Why do monarchs cluster in pecan groves?! Try some detective work and you'll find the food chain connection. Do monarchs cross the Gulf of Mexico? What do tagging returns in the Florida Panhandle suggest about the path some monarchs take?

• Monarch Migration Update: October 25, 2002
  It was a quiet week on the migration front. Are most monarchs already south of the U.S. border, where we have few observers? In Texas, a plane changed its course on Sunday to avoid thousands of monarchs that were soaring in a single thermal. What happens to monarchs once they reach the Florida coast? Few seem to make it to Mexico, according to Mr. RuBino's tagging data.
• Monarch Migration Update: November 1, 2002
  Will the monarchs find the sanctuaries this year? They’ve never been there before! Meanwhile, impressive migrations occurred this week in Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Texas. “La migración fue espectacular el viernes, sábado y domingo,” wrote Señora Treviño from Saltillo. How many did she and her grandson count on Friday? Monarchs typically reach the sanctuaries at the time of Dias de Los Muertos. Video and photos in today’s update provide a picture of this Mexican tradition.
• Monarch Migration Update: November 8, 2002
  The monarchs have arrived! Thousands upon thousands of butterflies--too many to count--appeared suddenly at their traditional staging area just outside of the sanctuaries on November 1. Like finding a needle in a haystack, the monarchs have found an area 11,000 times smaller than that they migrate across!

• FINAL Fall Monarch Migration Update: November 22, 2002
  Monarchs form their colonies only on mountaintops where the high altitude "oyamel" fir forest grows. Butterflies from across eastern North America are now concentrated on these vegetational islands, deep in central Mexico. "The densely aggregating butterflies are, in effect, the seed crop which must survive the winter..." says Dr. Brower. Thanks to everyone for helping to track the monarch migration this fall. We hope you'll be back next spring to track their northward migration. Watch for the first update, from the monarch sanctuaries, on Friday, February 7, 2003.