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The North American monarchs begin their southern migration in September and October. Migratory monarchs originate in southern Canada and the northern United States, they travel thousands of kilometers to overwintering sites in central Mexico. The butterflies arrive at their roosting sites in November.
- Overwintering in Mexico
- Directional Aids
- Clustering in Colonies
- Protection of Oyamel Forest
The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the States of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March. Monarchs roost for the winter in oyamel fir forests at an elevation of 2,400 to 3,600 meters (nearly 2 miles above sea level). The mountain hillsides of oyamel forest provide an ideal m...
Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, not one in particular.
Monarchs cluster together to stay warm. Tens of thousands of monarchs can cluster on a single tree. Although monarchs alone weigh less than a gram, tens of thousands of them weigh a lot. Oyamel trees are generally able to support the clustering butterflies, but sometimes branches break.
Conservation of overwintering habitat is very important to the survival of monarchs. The Mexican Government recognized the importance of oyamel forests to monarch butterflies and created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reservein 1986.
The first generation of monarch butterflies begins their northward migration, flying from Mexico through the southern United States. They mate along the way and lay eggs on milkweed plants , starting the lifecycle anew for the next generation.
Mar 16, 2021 · Every year, the Eastern monarch butterfly flies up to 2,500 miles from its breeding grounds in the US and Canada, all the way down to its hibernation grounds in central Mexico. These tiny creatures have the most highly evolved migratory pattern of any known species of their kind, but this unique phenomenon is under threat.
In the summer, they live in northern United States and in Canada. But in the winter, they fly all the way to Mexico! This is a very long journey for such a small creature, but the monarchs amazingly always find their way back. Monarch butterflies start their migration in the fall.
Oct 17, 2017 · Each fall, millions of monarch butterflies leave their summer breeding grounds in the northeastern U.S. and Canada and travel upwards of 3,000 miles to reach overwintering grounds in...
People also ask
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When do monarchs go on a winter vacation?
Oct 22, 2024 · Let’s begin in Canada and the Northern U.S., starting somewhere in the August to October time frame. The monarchs have noticed that it is getting quite chilly, so they pack their sunglasses and swimsuits and embark on a winter vacation to Mexico or California .
