Today's Report Includes:

• The Migration: Maps, Questions and Highlights
  • Warm Air — and Monarchs —Move Northeast
• Birth Announcement: Spring 2009 First Generation Born!
• Slideshow: Why Don't We Have a Billion Butterflies?
• Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!
• Links: Monarch Butterfly Resources to Explore

Did you know? >>

Warm Air — and Monarchs — Move Northeast
An unusally warm air mass spread across the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada during the past week. Just look at Monday's temperature map. Northern regions were even warmer than Texas!

Monarchs flew and blew northward with this warm air according to our observers. People everywhere were surprised by the monarchs' early arrival and amazing ability to find milkweed:

• While students were outside during a fire drill at Washington School in Summit, New Jersey, they spotted a monarch laying eggs in the school butterfly garden!
• An astonishing 125 eggs were layed in a butterfly garden in Pennsylvania on milkweed that was only 3 inches tall.
• Students in Bridgewater and Somerville, New Jersey both saw their first monarchs this week. "This is so early for us and so exciting," said teacher Cathy Griffin.
• Add six news states to your list! Monarchs have moved into Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
• Predict: When will monarchs appear in the first Canadian Province? Prediction Chart

Monday's temperatures were as warm as mid-summer in the Northeast.

Birth Announcement : Spring 2009 First Generation Monarch Born!

Spread the news! This spring's first new generation of monarchs is on the way according to Carol Cullar who saw an adult eclose on Sunday in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Try This! Make a birth announcement. Tell the world what's so special about the arrival of this new generation of monarchs.

• Sample Birth Announcement

A single monarch butterfly can lay hundreds of eggs. What would happen if every egg survived? Let's see how many monarch generations it would take to reach a billion butterflies. Then explore the limiting factors that keep the monarch population from growing as fast as it could.

Also, find out how you can help scientists learn more about monarch populations. Volunteers are needed to observe monarchs for these projects:

• Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
• MonarchHealth

Will you take a few minutes to complete our Year-end Evaluation?

With your help, we can we document Journey North's reach, impact and value. We need comments like yours to keep the program going and growing.

Thank you! >>

Year-end Evaluation

• Video Clip: A Butterfly is Born
• Slideshow: How Does the Monarch Get Out of the Chrysalis?
• Slideshow: The Annual Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly
• Slideshow: New Monarchs Replace the Old: The Journey North Continues
• Activities: What is a Generation?
• Ongoing Lesson: Predicting the Route of the Spring Migration
• Journal: The Monarch Butterfly's Spring Migration
  • New Journal Page: Where Are the Monarchs Now?
• Orientation: About Journey North's Spring Monarch Migration Study
• Overview: About Journey North's Monarch Butterfly Overwintering Study
• Get Ready to Track Spring Migration: How to Watch for Monarchs
• Pre-Migration Map: Getting Ready for the Migration

The Next Monarch Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 7, 2009.

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