The Call of the South

Migrating Monarch on Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum). Photo taken at Montreal Botanical Garden by Rob Beaton.

As fall approaches, eastern monarch butterflies are beginning their migration southward in response to a combination of environmental cues. Shortening daylight hours, cooler temperatures, and the declining availability of nectar sources signal to the monarchs that it’s time to leave their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. These changes indicate the approach of winter, when the cold would be fatal to the monarchs if they remained in the north. Instinctively, they start their journey toward the warmer climate of central Mexico, where they can find the ideal conditions to survive the winter months. This migration is a vital part of their life cycle, allowing them to find shelter in the oyamel fir forests of the Sierra Madre mountains until spring returns.

So get outside! Don’t miss the opportunity to see one of the greatest migrations on earth in action!