Monarch Butterflies
Migration Update: April 27, 2007
Please Report
Your Sightings! >>

Today's Report Includes:

Butterfly Wings >>
The Migration: Maps, Questions and Highlights

Distribution Map >>

Real-time Map >>

Map Questions >>

  • Map: Animated Map (Week-by-week slideshow) >>
  • Map: Printer Friendly Version >>
  • Sightings: Recent Sightings (for Classroom Mapping) >>
  • Sightings: All Sightings >>

Highlights: Fresh Monarchs — and a Monarch in Wisconsin!

Look at the odd map! A narrow string of sightings stretches across Illinois all the way to central Wisconsin. An early monarch was spotted at latitude 44N in Wisconsin on April 20th. How early is this monarch and why is it so far ahead of other Midwest sightings? Check it out...>>

Old monarchs with well-worn wings were still being seen last week. People reported them from these five states: MS, OK, KS, IL, VA, and MD. But sightings of fresh-winged butterflies mean that the new monarch generation has arrived.

"Our first adults have now emerged from the chrysalis stage and are on the wing," wrote Bill Stark from Clinton, MS on April 25. "These adults appeared 32 days after the eggs were deposited." >>

Just think: New butterflies are appearing every day in places where monarchs laid their eggs a month ago (see March 30 map). Watch for the number of sightings to climb in the weeks ahead as the population builds.

  • You can add four new states to your Prediction Chart today. When do you think the first monarch will be reported from a Canadian province? Which province do you suppose it will be?
  • Look back at the season thus far: How are the warm March temperatures and April cold snap related to the migration pattern we see today?

 
Journal: How Early is the Wisconsin Monarch?

A monarch in Wisconsin on April 20th? How unusual is this?

Dig into data from past years. (See maps 1997 - 2007.) Then explain why this sighting is remarkable. In your answer include at least one measurement and one comparison.

  • Write your answer in your Monarch Butterfly Migration Journal. >>
Slideshow: Butterfly Wings: Take a Close Look! >>

Monarch wings are strong. They can carry a monarch over a thousand of miles. They can last over a hundred years if they're kept in a museum. But life is tough for a butterfly. Wings that begin as fresh as a flower, become faded, tattered, and torn over time. You can learn a lot about a butterfly by looking closely at its wings. Take a look!

Slideshow >>
Photo by Wayne Kryduba

Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! >>
Will you take a few minutes to complete our Year-end Evaluation?

With your help, we can we document Journey North's reach, impact and value. The information you provide is critical for planning new initiatives and for improving Journey North.

Thank you! >>

Year-end Evaluation >>
Links: Monarch Butterfly Resources to Explore
  • Predicting: Predicting the Route of the Spring Migration >>
  • Monarch Life Cycle: Resources to Explore >>
  • Mapping—Key Lessons & Resources: Making, Reading and Interpreting Maps >>
  • Monarchs for Kids (booklets, photos, videos) >>
More Monarch Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 4, 2007.

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