Let's
explore what this pattern could mean about monarch
migration in the East.
- It
looks like many monarchs travel down the Appalachian
Mountains.
-
It looks like
many monarchs travel southward along the Atlantic Ocean, hugging
the coastline. (See
map.)
-
It looks like
monarchs stop following the coast when they reach the North
Carolina border.
-
It looks like
monarchs turn westward and follow the southern Appalachians!
-
It looks like
very few monarchs travel into the region circled, a distinct
region called the "South-Atlantic Coastal Plain."
Later
during the migration, the monarchs will appear to turn and follow
another mountain chain. Are they doing the same thing here? We asked
Monarch Biologist Dr. Lincoln Brower to have a look.
“This
is fantastic,” he said. “The monarchs probably have
been doing this all along and we just never knew it. This is a wonderful
example of how students and the public can contribute to understanding
the monarch migration!!” |