| Please Report Your Sightings! |
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This Week's Update Includes:
- News: Record-breaking Butterflies
- Slideshow: Look at Those Stripes!
- The Migration: Maps and Journal
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| Stripes are a Clue Image: Chuck Patterson |
The migration continued to surge northward during the past week. A warm front set the butterflies sailing on the first of May. Since that day, more than 200 people have reported their first monarch. That's 30% of this spring's total sightings. This graph shows how the sightings surged when the warm front hit. The temperature map depicts conditions on peak migration day, May 3rd. Warm air reached all the way to southern Canada.
Wave of Arrival
The monarchs hit the northern latitudes like a wave 1,000 miles wide, from South Dakota to New York. Our northernmost monarch has now reached latitude 46N. Many people witnessed that butterfy's arrival: "It flew by 50 students," reports the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center from Minnesota.
Early Spring
We're continuing to see the effects of this spring's unsually warm temperatures. Look at the animated comparison maps. This spring's migration is 2-3 weeks ahead of last spring's.
Especially Early in the Northeast
Northeastern states like New York and New Jersey are a long distance from Mexico. Compared to the Midwest, people see fewer monarchs of the 1st spring generation. In fact, sometimes monarchs go undetected until later in the summer, when the 2nd spring generation appears. People may not see their first monarch until July. Thus, Easterners are awestruck to see monarchs in early May:
"Earliest-ever monarch sighting in 22 years of monitoring the Upper Delaware River Valley! I never see adult monarchs here until Memorial Day, and seldom before July." Callicoon, NY
"This is the earliest I've ever seen a monarch in northern New Jersey. Don't usually see them until late June to early July. It's the 1st time since I began rearing monarchs in 2005 that I'll actually have monarchs in the classroom in May and June, before school lets out." Newfoundland, NJ
Student Showcase: Free Verse Poetry
With over 200 people reporting the monarch's recent return, it's a time of celebration. Transform observers' comments into free verse poems. As a pre-writing warm-up, underline descriptive words and phrases. You are welcome to send student work for possible publication.
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| Surge in Sightings | ||
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| Warm temperatures on peak migration day. |
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| Comparison Maps | ||
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| Hidden on Host Plant |
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| Image: Judy Molnar | ||
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- Slideshow: Look at Those Stripes!
Essential Question |
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 Journal |
| First Monarch (map | animation | sightings) |
First Milkweed (map | animation | sightings) |
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