February 9, 2017
This winter's monarch colonies cover 7.19 acres (2.91 hectares) and contain an estimated 146 million butterflies. This map shows how the population is distributed between the 12 major winter sanctuaries.

Guiding Questions

• How would you describe the distribution of monarchs in the winter sanctuaries?
• What factors do you think might influence site-selection?
• How do you think monarch distribution affects conservation decisions?