Monarch Butterfly News: October 24, 2013
Please Report
Your Sightings!
Report Your Sightings
The migration is crossing into Mexico now. Although it's their first migration, monarchs follow routes previous monarchs have flown.

 

Image of the Week
Diagram of mariposa monarca
Monarch to monarca

News: Crossing the Border
Cruzando la Frontera
¡Ya están acá! They're here! The long-awaited wave of monarchs has entered Mexico. Observers reported from three Mexican states. How many monarchs did they see and how high were the butterflies flying?

Nuevo Leon: "Hoy durante tres horas las monarcas se vieron por miles en algunos lados del AM de Monterrey, recibí correos y llamadas por teléfono informando del paso de la migración," reports Rocio Treviño of Mexico's monarch tracking project, Correo Real. October 23

Coahuila: "Hace menos de 30 minutos empecé a ver monarcas por el cielo de Saltillo, un promedio de 1 por minuto. Las mariposas vuelan a una altura de 3-20 metros con dirección al este." October 22, Saltillo, Coahuila

Tamaulpius: "El día de ayer vi mariposas perchadas, pero solo eran cinco."
October 20, Jaumave, Tamaulipas

Crossing Texas Schoolyards
As monarchs streamed across the Texas skies last week, students witnessed them passing overhead:

Arlington: R. F. Patterson Elementary
"We think they were migrating to Mexico!" said second graders who counted 17 monarchs flying southwest over their school during recess.

Austin: Trinity School
"In 25 minutes, our class saw 13 monarchs flying high in the sky from the north."

Monarch migration crossing the US/Mexico border
Crossing the Border
Carol Cullar
 
Monarch Butterfly in Texas Schoolyard
Texas Schoolyard


Bill Earley
 
The Chaparral: Monarchs are crossing this landscape region now.
The Chaparral
Carol Cullar
Monarch Population: Why the Decline?
Monarch numbers are down and people are wondering why. Examine the factors that caused the decline during the past year, and the downward trend over the past decade. Explore how you can help. Monarch Butterfly
News from Mexico: Letter from Estela
During this week's expedition, the hungry monarch hunters found the local bread truck filled with traditional favorites. Estela predicts the first monarchs will soon:

"Our sixth sense as natives of this Hosting Land for Monarchs tells us that they are already silently creeping nearby."

Monarch sanctuary region of Mexico
Spotlight: Explore the Possible Pathway in Mexico
"The direction the monarchs travel is delightfully confusing!" writes monarch expert Dr. Bill Calvert.

Which Mexican states do the monarchs cross as they travel to their winter home?

Monarch butterfly migration pathway in Mexico
Tracking the Migration: Map and Journal
What to Report to Track Fall Migration Monarch Butterfly Migration Map: Peak Migration, Fall 2012 Map of Mexico: Which states do monarch butterflies cross during migration?
What to Report
Maps

Journal

Next Update October 31, 2013