Map/Animation/Sightings

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As you can plainly see, the migration map has hardly changed during the past week. Its leading edge still hovers at latitude 40N where it was last week, and only a handful of sightings were reported. Among them was one amazing monarch, sighted in Michigan by a reliable observer on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at 42 N!

People have been amazed and delighted this spring by the monarch's amazing ability to find milkweed, even the tiniest plants:

4/25/08 Markelville, IN
Kathryn Cole could not believe her eyes. "Milkweed just broke the ground yesterday and grew 3 inches in one day. We began checking for eggs and, sure enough, a monarch had already deposited her eggs on the newly emerging plants."

4/23/08 Elizabethton, TN
Observed a slightly faded female laying eggs on milkweed yesterday afternoon. The plants are only 1" - 2" tall and she was laying numerous eggs on each plant.

4/23/08 Port Republic, NJ
First monarch we've seen in NJ this year. A female in our garden ovipositing on small, just emerging milkweed

4/23/08 Johnson City, TN
It was the most amazing sight! The most beautiful, although faded, female monarch started making swirls around my head and out into the yard. I left for a moment, and when I returned she was laying eggs! Eight tiny perfect eggs. Moments later, 25 more eggs on my common milkweed!!!!!"

• Add three new states to your Prediction Chart today, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Michigan.
• When do you think the first monarch will be reported from a Canadian province? Which province do you suppose it will be?

How do monarchs find such tiny milkweed plants?
4/23/08 Port Republic,NJ	4/6/08 Maumelle,AR	4/23/08 Elizabethton,TN