Monarch Butterflies
Migration Update: May 15, 2008
Please Report
Your Sightings! >>

Today's Report Includes:

Where is the monarch? >>

 
The Migration: Maps, Questions and Highlights

Map/Animation/Sightings

Milkweed and Migration
Compare and Contrast >>

Map Questions >>

Highlights: Monarchs Have Crossed into Canada!

The first monarch has been spotted in Canada! The country's first sighting came from Ontario's Point Pelee National Park on May 8th, the very same day the first monarch was sighted in Canada last year!

The big surge in numbers we have been predicting should occur any day. The migration should push north across the northern Great Plains early next week when the wind shifts to the south. (The forecast shows northerly winds until next Tuesday, May 20th.)

  • With the addition of Wisconsin and Iowa a total of 29 states now have monarchs, as does the single Canadian province of Ontario. How many states are left? Predict the Path of the Monarch's Spring Migration
  • If you haven't seen monarchs or milkweed yet, please get ready to report your observations. >>
Looking at Milkweed and Monarch Migration

Big Picture View: Compare the animated maps of monarch migration and sightings of first milkweed. Notice how they are similar and different.

Close-up View: Look what's happening in a garden in Indianapolis, Indiana. Reports like the following have been unusually common this spring.

"Here's a mom who I believe is a returning migrant (from Mexico). She laid her eggs in my yard on Sunday, May 4th" said Marty Davis. "In the past 10 days I've found 197 eggs. It's quite unusual for us to see returning migrants, or to have eggs this early, or to have this many eggs in May!"

Monarch laying eggs in Marty Davis' Indiana garden.

Spotlight: 1st Monarch in Maine? Verifying Data Behind the Scenes  >>

The word came on Tuesday, May 13th, from Mrs. Fitzgerald's class in Kittery Point, Maine:

"Two first grade students spotted a monarch at about 11:30am. It was a sunny day and the monarch flew past them."

This is a remarkable sighting! If accurate, it would be this spring's first for the state of Maine. Yet this sighting is 275 miles ahead of the migration's leading edge, and monarchs don't usually reach Maine until June.

What steps does Journey North take to verify the data we collect from observers? Meet Journey North's Cindy Schmid. She reviews every sighting and spends hundreds of hours each season contacting observers for more information.

Monarch butterflies come and go quickly. It's hard to make sure that somebody saw one. But there's another way can we confirm that monarchs have arrived. Can you guess what it is? >>

Journey North's Cindy Schmid writes to observers for more information. >>

 
Slideshow: Let's Find Monarchs! Clues in the Milkweed Patch >>

Look closely. Can you find the monarch in the picture to the right? Monarchs leave tell-tale signs on the milkweed they eat. This "leaf damage" gives clues about when and where monarchs have been feeding.

Today's slideshow is a trip to the milkweed patch to find monarchs.

Slideshow >>

Symbolic Monarchs: Over 13,000 on the Map! Are Yours? >>

Has anyone found your symbolic butterfly yet? There are now over 13,000 children's butterflies on the map, waiting for their makers to discover them. >>

Have you told the world whose butterflies you've received? Join the fun! >>

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. We need comments like yours to keep the program going and growing.

Thank you! >>

Year-end Evaluation >>
 Links: Monarch Butterfly Resources to Explore
More Monarch Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 22, 2008.

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