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Monarch Project 2006-2007 » 2007 Spring Migration
2007 Spring Migration
The 2007 Monarch Butterfly Spring Migration Has Started! 
Over the couse of the following few weeks I want to keep everyone informed about the Monarch Butterfly Northern Spring Migration. I will begin each week by including some Monarch Facts followed by a weekly update including migration sighting maps and news available at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/News.html These weekly updates clearly show the movement of the migration as it progresses through the central and eastern U.S. and Canadian Provinces. Please enjoy these next few months, before you know it we'll be tagging Monarchs in the fall and saying goodbye for another long cold winter. It's that time of year. Spring, the snow is melting and hopefully it will also begin warming up outside. Soon we'll see the first flowers emerging from the ground followed by the emergence of the first milkweed. That can only mean one thing the Monarch Butterflies are on their way. A few weeks ago I witnessed hundreds of millions of Monarchs that covered hundreds of acres of Endangered Oyamel trees high up in the Mexican Monarch Sanctuaries of Sierra Chincua and El Rosario in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. Here we are a month later to the date, and the last of the Monarchs have departed the Sanctuaries and have begun their northern Spring Migration. Monarch Fact The Monarchs that migrated south from New Jersey last fall are the Monarchs that have been in the Sanctuaries in Michoacan for the past 7 months. These Monarchs during the past two weeks mated in the Sanctuaries and have begun their Spring northern migration. It was originally believed that the males die after the mating ritual in the Sanctuaries but recent science has shown that some males are also migrating north with the females. Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: May 16, 2007 No Monarchs in Randolph yet. We have been keeping our eyes open, and the swamp milkweed in the school garden is over a foot high but we have not seen any Monarchs here yet. Everyday Mr. S goes out to the garden in search of eggs on the milkweed and nothing there either. Highlights: The Monarchs Have Crossed into Canada!
The news came from Ontario on Tuesday. The first monarch has been spotted in Canada! Hooray! "We have been watching our symbolic butterflies land all over North America and are so excited to now see that the real butterflies have returned to Canada," wrote Ms. Katherine Hunter from Mississauga, ON. Monarchs appeared in schoolyards and butterfly gardens this week to the delight of those watching and waiting: "At 11:10 am the principal of our school saw the first Monarch Butterfly to return to our school building's gardens," wrote Mrs. Ference from Byram Lakes School in Stanhope, NJ. "It flew past him right outside the front door of the school." And from Burlington, Iowa: "My first Monarch of the year came floating over the students at recess heading north!" exclaimed Ms. Sommerfelt from Notre Dame Elementary on May 8. The big surge in numbers we have been predicting should occur any day. Please report what you see! Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: April 30, 2007 Highlights: Fresh Monarchs — a Monarch in Wisconsin and one sighting in Cape May, New Jersey! Look at the odd map! A narrow string of sightings stretches across Illinois all the way to central Wisconsin. An early monarch was spotted at latitude 44N in Wisconsin on April 20th. How early is this monarch and why is it so far ahead of other Midwest sightings? Old monarchs with well-worn wings were still being seen last week. People reported them from these five states: MS, OK, KS, IL, VA, and MD. But sightings of fresh-winged butterflies mean that the new monarch generation has arrived. "Our first adults have now emerged from the chrysalis stage and are on the wing," wrote Bill Stark from Clinton, MS on April 25. "These adults appeared 32 days after the eggs were deposited." Just think: New butterflies are appearing every day in places where monarchs laid their eggs a month ago (see March 30 map). Watch for the number of sightings to climb in the weeks ahead as the population builds. - You can add four new states to your Prediction Chart today. When do you think the first monarch will be reported from a Canadian province? Which province do you suppose it will be?
- Look back at the season thus far: How are the warm March temperatures and April cold snap related to the migration pattern we see today?
Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: April 13, 2007 Highlights: Dangerously Cold! The Monarch migration froze in place this week. So did fresh spring flowers and tiny green leaves as freezing temperatures moved across much of the monarch's breeding range.This was not an ordinary spring cold snap. It was record-breaking cold. It even snowed in Texas! And the impact was greater because it followed a full month of unseasonably warm temperatures. Spring had advanced ahead of normal and many monarchs moved with it, following the flowers, the milkweed and the warmth. - How — and where — were the monarchs effected by freezing temperatures?
- How cold can temperatures get without hurting monarchs?
At the overwintering sites in Mexico, "We know temperatures below -8 °C (17.6° F) will kill about 50% of the monarchs," says Dr. Lincoln Brower. This year's combination of early migration and late-season cold has the potential to set the monarch population back. "These jet stream conditions are similar to those in 1997. Monarchs got off to a great start that spring but the population subsequently crashed apparently due to freezing temperatures in early April that reached well into Texas," observed Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch. Check out how low the record temperatures were on the April 8th, one of the coldest days of this recent cold snap. Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: April 6, 2007 A Warm Week and Another 300 Miles!
Take a look at the map! Monarchs spread across Tennessee last week, and advanced into Kentucky and Illinois. It has been an unusually warm spring in the Midwest. March temperatures were at least 9 degrees above normal and the monarchs moved in early. The warm spell broke on Tuesday and temperatures plummeted. We'll see how milkweed, monarchs, and their eggs are effected in the week ahead. Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: March 30, 2007 Butterflies Advance Almost 250 Miles Northward!
For almost two weeks we've been waiting. According to all reports, the northernmost monarchs had not passed 33.5 N since March 11th. Then suddenly the butterflies made a northward advance of nearly 250 miles! They pushed into Oklahoma last weekend, and had reached 36N by March 24th. A mass of migrants also moved nearly 200 miles to the east, as butterflies spread across Arkansas and into Mississippi. Measuring from the beginning of the monarch's pathway in Texas (near Eagle Pass), the migration has now moved 700 miles to the northeast. Had the butterflies moved directly northward the monarchs would be nearing the Nebraska border! Did you predict this pattern? Eastern Monarchs: Where Are They Coming From? In the East, monarchs have now been sighted in both Carolinas and in northern Florida. Did those butterflies come up from Mexico? Our map shows a big, blank space across Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Could the monarchs from Mexico have crossed that region unnoticed? Or, did the eastern monarchs come from the Gulf or Atlantic Coast? Let's watch carefully in the next week. By collecting observations, we have a chance to shed light on these questions about monarch migration. Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: March 23, 2007 Monarchs Enter Two New States
The leading edge of the migration moved into two news states during the last week. It's time to add Louisiana and Arkansas to your list. Take a look at this and last week’s migration maps. What changes do you notice? Which direction(s) has the migration moved so far — north east west? GONE from the Colonies!
Dr. Lincoln Brower sent the word on Saturday: "My colleagues in Mexico called from Angangueo tonight and told me that the monarchs have all left the Sierra Chincua colony (except for those clustering on two trees), and have all left the Cerro Pelon colony (but those clustering on 10 trees)." So, while our map shows the leading edge of the migration, it's peak migration now across northern Mexico. Scientists Following Monarchs Across Mexico
Little is known about the route monarchs travel so this year two Mexican scientists are following the monarchs north. Dr. Brower explains the importance of the study: "We hope to find the migratory path and see what species of flowers the butterflies are nectaring on along their route to Texas. We also want to know whether they are seeking water holes along the way," he said. To view updated maps and pictures of the migration go to... http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/News.html Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: March 16, 2007
The monarchs are pouring out of Mexico now and they're trickling into Texas. The migration's leading edge has reached 30N. Where do you think they will appear next? New Mexico? Oklahoma? Arkansas? (You might be surprised!) This week: Why do the monarchs travel where they do? What drives the pace and direction of the migration? By tracking the migration "live" we can help answer questions like these. Let's watch carefully this spring and see what we can learn. Highlights: A Clear Arrival in Texas This Week!
The leading edge of this spring's migration has clearly arrived in Texas! Our map shows a line at 30N, the same latitude as Austin. But look where the monarchs were last year at this time — they had already reached 35 north and had moved into Arkansas. (See March 17, 2006 map.) "Conditions are still wet and cool through most of Texas," says Mike Quinn of Texas Parks and Wildlife. What does spring migration look like? When the monarchs leave Mexico they fill the sky. By the time they reach Texas they have dispersed over miles and miles of space. To view updated maps and pictures of the migration go to... http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/News.html
Mr. Szuszkowski's 5th Grade
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