Monarch Butterflies
Monarch Migration Update: May 7, 2009
Please Report
Your Sightings!

Today's Report Includes:

 

Have you noticed? >>
The Migration: Highlights, Maps, and Questions

Monarchs
(map/sightings)
Milkweed
(map/sightings)


Journal Page
Common Questions About Monarch Butterfly Migration
How Would You Answer?
Migration Highlights

Monarchs Cross into Canada!
Find Canada's southernmost point on a map and you'll be near the spot where Canada's first monarch was reported last week. Point Pelee National Park is a peninsula on the north shore of Lake Erie. Notice how far it stretches into that Great Lake. Point Pelee is an important stopover point for migrating butterflies and birds. Can you see why?

Watching the Wings for Clues
As monarchs appeared in backyards and schoolyards this week, people were watching butterfly wings for clues: Is the monarch a male or female, is it young or old? Many monarchs were ragged-winged and weathered but the first few fresh-winged butterflies are slowly beginning to appear. Here are some of this week's observations:

May 2     Manhattan, New York (40 N, -74 W)
"I saw a lone adult Monarch flying on the Manhattan side of the Manhattan bridge. Didn't get a chance to see if it is male or female because it was flying across 3 lanes of busy New York city traffic coming off the bridge."

May 3     Toledo, Ohio (41 N, -83 W)
Alex saw a monarch on Sunday in Toledo, Ohio. "We've spent the year studying Monarchs and this is such a big deal for our class. We've been awaiting the return of the Monarch to our area. We are very excited at this event," wrote his teacher from Grove Patterson Academy.

May 2     Galesburg, Illinois (41 N, -90 W)
Watchful students at Gale Elementary spotted their first monarchs in farm fields and gardens across town last weekend!

Other Highlights

  • This week's northernmost monarch appeared in Michigan at latitude 42 north.
  • Get ready for a big surge in numbers sometime during the next two weeks, when this spring's new generation comes out in force.
  • Remember to add 3 new U.S. states to your Prediction Chart and our very first Canadian province!

Go Wing-watching!

Here are questions you can can ask as you look carefully at a butterfly's wings:

  • Is the butterfly young or old?
  • Is it a male or female?
  • Has it had a narrow escape from a predator?
  • Was it well fed as a young caterpillar? (Wings don't grow after a butterfly emerges, so size reflects the butterfly's diet as a caterpillar.)
Slideshow: Butterfly Wings: What Can You Learn by Looking Closely? >>

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!

Why Don't We Have a Billion Butterflies?
Photo by Wayne Kryduba

Slideshow >>
Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! >>

Please 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 14, 2009.

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