Journey North Monarch Butterfly Spring 2003

Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: May 23, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

News From the Migration Trail
Comparing Three Spring Migrations: 2001, 2002 and 2003
Milkweed Emerging Along the Migration Trail
Stay Tuned: The Monarch Migration Continues!
Please Help: YOUR Monarch Sightings Are Important
Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts

News From the Migration Trail

Link to This Week's Data

During the past week, monarchs were spotted during a Major League baseball game in Connecticut and a Little League game in Massachusetts. A monarch was sighted in New York City, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and another surprised students when, “we were on the swings and it flew over our heads.” We heard from first grade students just learning about monarchs, to a scientist who has studied them for a lifetime. The first sighting by a student at New Ludlow Elementary in Worcester, MA, caused quite a stir. “We made an announcement at our Rally Around the Flag this morning and received a round of applause from the entire school.”

Monarchs have now been reported from 4 new states and have crossed into Canada! The first report from Canada was on May 13 from the province of Ontario, near Niagara Falls.
The northernmost sighting came from South Dakota at latitude 43.55N. Did you realize that portions of the United States are north of Canada?
Monarch Spring Migration Route Prediction Chart

Comparing Three Spring Migrations: 2001, 2002 and 2003
On the maps below, compare this spring’s migration to those of the previous two years. Notice how far north the migration had traveled by this time in 2001! That year, the monarchs lagged behind in the south in early spring (notice location of gold dots), then surged northward quickly (red dots). What similarities and differences do you notice between all three seasons?


2001	2002	2003

Milkweed Emerging Along the Migration Trail
Please help monitor the spring emergence of the monarch's food plant across North America. You'll be amazed at the close connections the migration and this all-important plant. Please REPORT when your milkweed grows!

Please report the FIRST MILKWEED LEAVES to Emerge This Spring!

Link to Milkweed Data

Stay Tuned: The Monarch Migration Continues!
Other Journey North migrations have come to an end, but we'll continue to track the monarchs until they've expanded across their entire breeding range. This normally takes until mid-June.

Please Help: YOUR Monarch Sightings Are Important
Even after the first monarchs have been reported from your state or province, we want to hear from YOU when you see YOUR first! The number of sightings reported reflects monarch abundance, so your observations will continue to be important.

Journey North
Year End Evaluation
Please share your thoughts

The Next Monarch Butterfly Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 30, 2003