Monarch
Butterfly Migration Update: May 12, 2006 |
Today's
Report Includes:
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This
Week's Migration Maps and Data |
Use
today's data to make your own map, or print and analyze our map:
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Stay
Tuned: The Monarch Migration Continues! |
Other
Journey North migrations are coming to an end, but we track the
monarchs until they've expanded across their entire breeding range.
This normally takes until mid-June.
- Don't
go away! We need your observations.
The
monarchs still have a long way to travel.
The
Monarch's Breeding Range in North America
(Stippled areas show regions of uncertainty.) >>
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News
from the Migration Trail |
Another
quiet week has passed. Only 8 new sightings were reported! (The
others OCCURRED earlier but were REPORTED this week.) Sightings
are at their seasonal low right now. We predict the monarchs will
flood northward in the next two weeks. Let’s see what happens. |
Some
highlights of the week:
-
First, a mystery for you to solve: Notice that 4 of the week’s
8 sightings are from the state of Illinois. They are from the
same part of the state, and they are within 30 miles of one another.
Look at the map and see if you can figure out why. (Here’s
a clue: ogacihC)
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- Not
a single sighting has been reported from Iowa. Hello Algona, Kalona
and Waterloo! We’re eager to hear from you!
- The
northernmost monarch this week was reported from Toronto, Ontario.
See the single red dot on the map at nearly 44N?
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What
happend last week in Illinois? |
- A
remarkable report came from 45N in Minnesota on May 4:
“Three
second grade boys sighted a monarch butterfly on the playground
at The Blake School in Wayzata, MN during our noon recess time,”
wrote their teacher, Ms. Patricia Arnold. “They were excited
to report their sighting because we have raised monarch butterflies
in our classroom.”
If
this sighting is accurate, which it probably is, this monarch would
be a very early arrival for the state of Minnesota. Yet before we
can put it on the migration map, good scientific procedure requires
further evidence. We hope the boys will get back on the playground
and see if they can provide:
- 1)
a picture of the monarch or 2) monarch eggs on milkweed
As
good scientists, we have to keep an open mind and be healthy skeptics
at the same time. |
A
Butterfly is Born: How Does it Get Out of the Chrysalis? |
Have
you ever watched a monarch butterfly emerge from its chrysalis?
It comes into the world like a flower bursts from a swollen bud.
This everyday miracle will take place millions and millions of times
in the coming months, perhaps in your own backyard.
- How
does the monarch manage to get out of the tight chrysalis that
surrounds it?
Watch
the video clip and see what you can learn:
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How
can the monarch get out? |
A
Bird Hatches and a Butterfly Ecloses: What’s
the Difference? |
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A
Bird Hatches |
A
Butterfly Ecloses |
Most
people know that a bird hatches from its egg. When a monarch comes
out of its chrysalis the process is called “eclosing.”
Compare these video clips of a monarch eclosing and a whooping crane
hatching. Then explore the similarities and differences between
hatching and eclosing.
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How
Long Do the Monarchs from Mexico Live? Discussion
of Challenge Question #14 |
Monarchs
live for only 2-6 weeks during the breeding season, we pointed out
last week. Those that migrate to Mexico and back live much longer.
In the example of a monarch born on August 25th how long had the
butterfly been alive as of April 25th?
- That
butterfly would have lived 8 months, said Mrs. Nunnally's second
grade class in Bedford, NH.
Thanks,
2nd graders! |
Late
April
Torn, tattered and faded
Photo: Jim Edson |
Wanted: Your Monarch and Milkweed Sightings
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Even if monarchs have already been reported from your state or province,
we still want to hear from YOU when you see YOUR first monarch.
The number of sightings reported reflects monarch abundance, so
your observations will continue to be important.
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Click the "owl button" to see maps and report sightings |
Year-End
Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! |
Please
take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our
Year-End Evaluation. The information you provide is critical for
planning new initiatives and for improving Journey North. Also,
as a free program supported by a generous grant from Annenberg Media,
we want to be able to document Journey North's reach, impact and
value. THANK YOU! |
Journey
North
Year End Evaluation
Please
share your thoughts! |
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The
Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 19, 2006 |