"It is a mystery," says monarch scientist Dr. Bill Calvert.
Here are some of the factors he considered when thinking about the question:
- Milkweed does grows in the Bahamas, so it's possible that some islands have a monarch population of their own.
- Some observers have reported monarchs appearing for a few weeks in the fall, and then disappearing until the next fall.
- One monarch that was tagged in New Jersey was recovered in the Bahamas. (One monarch tagged in Ontario was recovered in Cuba, too.)
- In the case of these 200 monarchs, it seems likely they were blown in.
- What was the weather like leading up to this observation? Is the timing correct?
|
![One of 200 monarchs found in the Bahamas on September 23, 2010](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/monarch/maps/nectaring_bahamas_1285291146_map_200.jpg)
Image: Tim Higgs |