Mass Migration in California--But Are They Monarchs? What Do the Michigan Students Think? Ms. Gradowski's sixth graders in Bay City, Michigan were called upon twice to answer this question. They were in class when the telephone rang. It was Ms. G’s sister calling from California while she was driving through a swarm of butterflies! “Because we have been studying the Mexican migration, we knew enough to tell her that they probably weren't Mexican monarchs. We thought maybe they could be those that overwinter in California. After reading that California experts think painted ladies are often mistaken for monarchs, we think she saw painted ladies. Twice during our talk she said she wasn't sure if they were Monarchs, and our news program we watch in school talked about all of the rain in Death Valley, which produced lots of painted ladies. With this information, we think she saw painted ladies. But we're not sure. It is what our teacher calls, an educated guess.” Copyright 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to jn-help@learner.org