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Our northernmost monarch reached latitude 39N this week and monarchs were reported in five new states. Sightings from the Atlantic Coast may be revealing a new discovery about monarch migration. Also this week, can you name another species that eats nectar and travels where monarchs do?
This Week's Update Includes:
- News: Migration Pattern Raising Questions
- Compare: Two Migrations Fueled by Nectar
- The Migration: Maps and Journal Page
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A fascinating pattern is appearing on our migration map this spring. Take a look at the states along the Atlantic Coast. (We're circled the region in blue.) Three monarch sightings appeared there last week—and now there are over a dozen! Where are these East Coast monarchs coming from?
Andy Davis has studied the monarch migration for years. He has written several scientific papers using Journey North migration data. “It seems mathematically impossible that those monarchs could have come up from Mexico. We could calculate the migration rate to test this," he suggested.
Study the map and see what you think. Perhaps monarchs that overwinter along the Atlantic coast—or even in Cuba—join the migration from Mexico each the spring. Perhaps a hidden pattern is being revealed this spring because fewer monarchs are coming up from Mexico. This would be a remarkable discovery!
April
Counts
Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch is watching the migration map daily.
He will be paying attention to the number of monarchs reported during
April. “The sightings really drop off in years when the population
is low,” he believes. The good news: the population is centered
in Texas where warm temperatures will help the next generation develop
quickly. Conditions in Texas could be good for monarchs this year because
the vegetation received adequate rainfall. Take a look at the spectacular
spring wildflowers! The flowers provide a nectar corridor for monarchs
as they migrate across the Texas landscape.
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Nectar Corridor |
Monarch butterflies and ruby-throated hummingbirds are both migrating north right now. What are the similarities and differences between these migrations? Make predictions, pose questions and do some research. Then check your prediction against the latest migration maps. Use the fill-in-the-blank journal page to get started:
- Journal Page: Fill-in-the-blank
- Teacher Page: Answer Key
- Comparison Chart: Compare, Contrast, and Predict!
Comparison Chart Compare, Contrast, and Predict!
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The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 22, 2010.
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