Monarch migration

I'll bet you're not seeing many Monarch butterflies in Indiana/Ohio this time of year. That's because they're down here in the south, getting ready for their migration to a warmer climate. What a delight it is to see these beauties fluttering away in late October!

It's been fun learning about the native flora and fauna down here, so I'm sharing a few facts about the Monarch migration:

Because Monarch butterflies are not able to survive the cold winters of the United States, they migrate south to escape the cold. Their migration typically starts in October, but it can start before that time if the weather turns cooler earlier.

Monarchs stop here because there are still lots of plants they like to eat, and they need to feed on those plants to fuel their long flight to northern Mexico.

Monarch butterflies go to the very same trees each and every year when they migrate, which seems odd, because they aren't the same butterflies that were there the last year. These are the new fourth generation of Monarch butterflies. How fascinating that their grandchildren and great-grandchildren use the exact tree that their grandparents did.

They are the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate that is over 2500 miles away!