Monarch Migration Time

Such a delicate being. Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

A beautiful creature that lives a short life, two to six weeks unless it is fortunate enough to be the last generation of the year. Those of that lucky generation can live eight or nine months.

They’re on their way. Escaping winter. They can’t survive a cold winter no matter what stage of live they are in — larvae, pupae, or adult. 

Using navigational aids such as the position of the sun and the magnetic pull of our planet, they travel south. Monarchs in eastern North America follow several paths to reach a common route that takes them to the same mountain areas of Mexico year after year. Monarchs in western North America fly to areas in the vicinity of Santa Cruz and San Diego to spend their winters.

All this travel, some flying as much as three thousand miles. Butterflies that have never flown this route before. Creatures that are not only delicate but incredibly intuitive.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Monarch Migration Time”

    1. ¡Muchas gracias Gary! I appreciate your encouragement. It helps a bunch to have cooperative models and a camera that I can depend on.

      Looking forward to see you on Friday.

      Thanks for reading my posts!
      Brendita

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