Monarch Butterflies

Make Your Own Migration Map
Create a Display Your Whole School Can Enjoy

Try This!
Make a map to illustrate the highlights of this fall's monarch migration. Create a display that your whole school can enjoy! Show what happens this year as the monarchs travel on their annual trip across the continent.

Why map "migration highlights" only in the fall?

The fall migration is challenging to track, unlike the spring migration which
moves northward from Mexico quite clearly. Because of these challenges, we make
three maps (peak migration, roosts and all sightings.) It will be easier for students
to make a single map by gathering "highlights" from our three maps. Plus, many of the true highlights (as described below) don't stand out on our maps.

Put highlights on your map such as:
  • Classic observations of typical monarch behavior that occur year after year during fall migration (such as sightings from roost sites and butterfly gardens, of butterflies flying over head in a southerly direction, etc.).
  • Spectacular and/or unusual observations (of high-flying monarchs, tagged monarchs that have been re-captured along the route, monarchs caught in a storm, or carried to far-off places by the wind).
  • Observations that puzzle scientists and clues to questions they can't answer. For example: How do monarchs know when to migrate? How much weight do monarchs gain during fall migration? What habitats are most critical for their survival?

Gather comments from observers:

All three categories listed in our database:

All three of our migration maps:

Put these comments into perspective by reading:

Each migration record has date, town, state/province, latitude and longitude for for easy plotting.

For a Base Map:


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