How do Monarch butterflies migrate long distances?
The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do. Monarchs use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances. Some fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home!
What is the migration path of monarch butterflies?
Each fall, North American monarchs travel from their summer breeding grounds to overwintering locations. East of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs travel up to an astonishing 3,000 miles to central Mexico, whereas the shorter western migration is to the California coast.
How is the monarch butterflies migration connected to its biology?
Migration allows the butterflies to escape freezing temperatures and dying host plants, and reduces infections with a virulent parasite. The publication of the monarch genome and the development of gene- editing strategies have enabled the dissection of the genetic and neurobiological basis of the migration.
How do monarchs know when to migrate?
Three environmental factors influence these changes in the migrant generation of monarchs: the length of daylight, the fluctuation of temperatures, and the quality of milkweed plants. In combination, these three environmental triggers tell monarchs it’s time to take to the skies.
Why does monarch butterfly migrate?
One explanation might be that when monarchs march north, they are essentially following the bloom of their primary food source—milkweed plants. And then when winter comes and those plants die back, the animals retreat to a place with conditions that protect them from the weather.
Why are monarch butterflies important?
More than beautiful, monarch butterflies contribute to the health of our planet. While feeding on nectar, they pollinate many types of wildflowers. Monarch butterflies are also an important food source for birds, small animals, and other insects.
Why is the monarch migration important?
Monarch butterflies are pollinators! As monarchs forage for nectar, they can unintentionally move pollen within and between flowers. This movement of pollen helps flowering plants make seeds, which can eventually disperse and grow into more plants.
What are benefits of migration for monarch butterflies?
Migration allows the butterflies to escape freezing temperatures and dying host plants, and reduces infections with a virulent parasite. We discuss the multigenerational migration journey and its evolutionary history, and highlight the navigational mechanisms of migratory monarchs.
How far do monarchs migrate?
Flying up to 2,500 miles from the US and Canada where they breed, all the way down to the forests in central Mexico where they hibernate, the monarch’s migratory pattern is the most highly evolved of any known species of their kind. But this grand migration is under threat.
Why does the monarch butterfly migrate?
What is special about a monarch butterfly?
The monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable and well studied butterflies on the planet. Its orange wings are laced with black lines and bordered with white dots. Famous for their seasonal migration, millions of monarchs migrate from the United States and Canada south to California and Mexico for the winter.
