Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: June 3, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

• Latest Migration Map and Data
• News from the Migration Trail
• The Monarch Migration Continues!
• We Need Your Help: Please Report Your Sightings
• Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!

Latest Migration Map and Data Use the latest migration data to make your own map, or print and analyze our map Click to watch the week-by-week animation.

• The migration moved into the motor state of Michigan as if a new freeway had suddenly been opened for them. The state's first report arrived on May 26th and another seven sightings followed closely behind.
• Most surprising this week was a June 1st report from the Canadian Maritime Province of Nova Scotia. This butterfly is the easternmost monarch of the season, at longitude 63 W. The previous report from the Atlantic Coast came over 3 weeks ago from New Jersey. We have not received a single report from anyone who lives in the nearly 600 miles between them!
• Our migration map is indeed empty east of longitude 80 W. This void seems significant, considering how much higher human population densities are there, especially on the Atlantic Coast.

Why have so few monarchs been reported east of 80W, and along the Atlantic Coast?

• When will the first monarchs be seen in the U.S. states of NY, CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, and ME? How about Canada's provinces of PQ, NB and PE?
• "Spring here has been a cool one and the arrival of spring is about 3 weeks late," said Don Davis about the weather in eastern Ontario. His colleagues in Quebec also report the late emergence of plants and arrival of spring migrants there.
• Monarchs have now been reported from a total of 2 Canadian provinces and 30 U.S. states. New this week are: NS, MI, and WV: Predicting the Route: Now How Many States and Provinces?

The Monarch Migration Continues! Other Journey North migrations have come to an end, but we'll continue to track the monarchs until they have expanded across their entire breeding range. Weekly updates with migration maps and data will be provided every Friday until the end of June.
We Need Your Help: Please Report Your Sightings It's an important year to document the migration, so please don't go away. Even if monarchs have already been reported from your state or province, we want to know when YOU see YOUR first monarch. Remember: We can't track the migration without your help!

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on June 10, 2005

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