March 9, 2017 by Elizabeth Howard
As the monarchs prepare to depart for spring migration, tags and wings are being recovered for clues about where the butterflies originated last fall.
"The flying and constant bursting were spectacularly fantastic. I cannot find any other words to describe this weekend’s experience," wrote Estela after her visit to Sierra Chincua on March 5th.
| Collecting Tags and Wings This week, Estela accompanied Monarch Watch volunteers to collect tags. New this year, the wings are also being collected for research. Volunteer Diane Pruden describes the process:
News From the Sanctuaries Estela visited four sanctuaries last week with the team. She said the butterflies at Sierra Chincua were truly stunning. Cerro Pelon Sanctuary Ellen Sharp, who lives and runs a hotel near the sanctuary, shares her impressions of the season. The monarchs appear to have started a slow, staggered departure.
Get Ready for Migration!
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Using wings collected at the sanctuaries, researchers discovered where overwintering butterflies in Mexico originated. Their map shows the proportion of butterflies from six breeding regions in the U.S. and Canada. Lead author Tyler Flockhart was surprised by the findings:
"We expected the vast majority of monarch butterflies to be found in the Midwestern states. However, just 38 per cent come from that part of the U.S.A. If we just focus conservation activities on that area, our research shows we will be missing a large number of butterflies born elsewhere in North America."
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| Origins Revealed Map | Journal |
| If you were a monarch biologist, how would you use this map for conservation planning? |
| Report all monarchs you see — adults, eggs, larvae. | ||
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| What to Report | Adults report | map | list |
Eggs report | map | list |
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| Larvae report | map | list |
Milkweed report | map | list |
Other Observations report | map | list |
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