What a week! People reported 179 new sightings, a dramatic increase over this spring's average of 26 sightings per week. The migration advanced another 200 miles northward, for a 2-week total of 450 miles. The northernmost monarch has now reached latitude 48°N in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
Notice the delayed arrival in the East. There, the migration has only reached latitude 41°N in New Jersey, about 800 miles lower in latitude than the Minnesota sighting. Because of the distance and the delay, monarchs begin breeding later in the east than in the Midwest. This is one reason the eastern breeding grounds contribute less to the overwintering population.
Generation Two
Females are laying eggs of the 2nd generation. These monarchs will be the grandchildren of butterflies that overwintered in Mexico. The egg map shows how concentrated breeding presently is in the Upper Midwest.
Counting Generations
Monarch generations are continuing to cycle. It takes about one month for each to develop. Over the summer, three generations will be produced in the north.
June: grandchildren
July: great-grandchildren
August: great-great-grandchildren—the generation that migrates to Mexico.
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