Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Monarchs: Tracking Spring Migration

Monarch spring migration is well underway. Monarch tracking shows that these butterflies have been spotted making their way north through Texas and into southern Oklahoma as of the end of March. By now, last year's "supergeneration" has mated, laid eggs, and begun to die off. Butterfly gardeners in South Texas should be looking for eggs and larvae on their milkweed, and those in Northern Texas and Oklahoma will be seeing some pretty battered-looking monarchs finishing their weary journeys at last. (You've probably seen the news reports about the alarmingly low monarch population numbers this year. Look for a post coming soon about this situation and our take on it.)

You can track the monarch spring migration yourself by visiting Journey North (www.learner.org), which tracks the migration of monarch butterflies, ruby-throated and rufous hummingbirds, and several other species. Their interactive maps allow you to view sightings and add your own, helping track the current population of migration species in North America.


The really cool thing about this map is just how well it shows the spring migration pattern, as the monarchs funnel up through Texas and begin heading north and east. You can see the concentration of monarchs through the eastern central part of the state, and if you visit the website and click over to the "First Milkweed" map, you can see that the migration and the milkweed line up pretty much exactly. Moral of the story: plant milkweed, and monarchs will come.

Florida's monarch population is still strong this spring, with many sightings in the MOSI Outside gardens each week. We are raising very healthy populations for display in the Flight Encounter, and will continue to do so as long as our milkweed supply holds out (those caterpillars have voracious appetites!). This is a great time to visit our butterflies, with beautiful sunny days and many flowers blooming in the garden. And don't forget, Flight of the Butterflies is still playing in the IMAX Dome - why not come see it (and visit us) sometime soon?

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