The Incredible Journey of Monarch Butterflies & Ways to Help this Natural Wonder

If you catch a glimpse of a beautiful, orange and black monarch butterfly resting in your garden this summer, you’re actually witnessing something incredibly special. That singular butterfly is one of millions - 100 million by some estimates - that migrate across North America annually, a journey so arduous and long it’s considered a natural world wonder.

With a few simple steps you can help that butterfly along its way and join efforts across the country to support the monarch population, which is having a tough time these days. 

A monarch butterfly on the blooms of a blazing star plant

What is the Monarch Butterfly Migration?

“Snowbirds” is a common term for people who spend their summers in cooler, more comfortable temperatures and winters in warm, inviting climates. Monarch butterflies are the ultimate insect version of a “snowbird.” 

Monarchs summer in southern Canada and the northern United States until the August temperatures rise and the days get longer. When this happens, monarchs instinctively know it's time to head south. 

Monarchs that follow the Western North American migration path overwinter along the California coast while monarchs migrating along the Eastern North American path travel to the mountains of central Mexico.

When heading south, individual monarchs will fly the entire route covering 50-to-100 miles a day for thousands of miles collectively to reach overwintering sites. By late fall, the monarchs reach their destinations and it’s time for a little R&R. Their “resorts” of choice are trees where they roost until early spring when vacation is over and it’s time to head home. 

Unlike the fall migration, the spring trip home is made by multiple generations of monarchs. As these monarchs travel back north, they mate and lay eggs along the way producing offspring that are the first- and second-generation descendants of the overwintering monarchs. 

Once these monarchs are finally home for the summer, they continue to breed, producing two to three more generations until August comes and the migration south starts over. By pure instinct, this new generation of monarch butterflies, which has never traveled the migratory path before, knows exactly where to go when it's time to go south.

Monarchs migrate further than any tropical butterfly and are the only butterfly to annually complete a two-way migration over such a great distance, according to researchers with Monarch Watch, a non-profit based at the University of Kansas. The only exception are monarchs that live permanently in Florida.

Habitats, Highways and Byways

Traffic on the monarch migration "highways" has declined over the past 20 years leading to concerns for the monarch's survival. To determine population size, researchers focus on the number roosting monarchs in overwintering sites and those counts have significantly declined according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW). As a result, monarchs are now under review by the USFW for possible inclusion on the Endangered Species Act. 

The problem for monarch butterflies is habitat lost to urbanization. As a result, monarch conservation efforts center around creating habitats along the migratory paths that provide food (nectar), places to rest and milkweed for laying eggs (milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars). Collectively, these habitats work together like rest and refueling stops for monarchs as they travel.

Communities, non-profit organizations and government agencies across the country have developed habitats and on-going programming to support them. Many of these programs use transportation themes as a nod to the monarch’s flight path and habitat locations.  

For instance, the Monarch Highway program by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) focuses on habitats along the Interstate 35 corridor, which corresponds with the butterfly’s central flyway. The NWF works with state transportation departments from Texas to Minnesota to support the program.

Another example is the Route 66 Monarch Flyway. Route 66 is a legendary part of America's travel history and this habitat corridor follows along it's scenic by-way from Chicago to St. Louis.

Individuals can get involved by creating habitats in their own backyard and registering them with organizations working toward monarch and pollinator conservation. Among them is the national Monarch Waystation program by Monarch Watch (“Waystation” literally means a place to stop along a journey). In North Carolinian, residents can register their habitat with the Butterfly Highway program by the N.C. Wildlife Federation, an affiliate of the NWF.

Importance of Monarch Butterflies And Other Pollinators

Monarchs, other butterflies, birds, bees and moths, are among animals and insects called pollinators because they help spread pollen among plants. 

Pollination facilitates plant reproduction, which is why pollinators are a crucial part of maintaining our food supply. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators are responsible for “one out of every three bites we eat” and “essential to our ecological survival.” Basically, no reproduction, no food. 

As with monarchs, pollinators - especially bees - have declined significantly in recent years. Creating nectar-rich habitats that monarchs enjoy also attracts and helps other pollinators (hence the “pollinator-friendly” description commonly used for plants and habitats these creatures love).

How to Help Monarch Butterflies

Creating a habitat to help monarchs along their journey is easy and doesn’t require a lot of space. Habitats of all sizes are beneficial. If you have a backyard, you can fill it with flowers and plants monarch butterflies love. If you don’t have time to maintain a larger garden or only have a small outdoor area, simply fill a plant container or two with monarchs in mind. 

Follow these suggestions for creating the perfect monarch rest stop:

• Plant a variety of brightly colored, nectar-rich flowering plants that attract monarchs and other pollinators, such as black-eyed Susan, cardinal flower, goblin flower, and varieties of sage and aster. Nectar provides monarchs energy.

• Plant flowers with different bloom times so there is a nectar source available from spring through summer. 

• Monarchs drink (and need) water so provide a source, such as a birdbath or a small dish.

• When possible, use plants native to your area. The lifecycle of plants and pollinators native to where you live are in sync since they evolved alongside each other. This is the magic of mother nature, plants blooming when birds and insects need nectar and the plants needs those creatures to come around and spread its pollen for reproduction. Local plants nurseries and even big box garden centers now have sections dedicated to local, native plants.

• Include native milkweed in your habitat. Look for common milkweed, swamp milkweed and butterfly weed. Butterfly weed is best for small areas and containers since it spreads by seed versus runners. If you notice signs of rabbits snacking on your butterfly weed, consider planting in a tall container as a deterrent.

• Do not plant tropical milkweed, which is not native to the U.S and carries harmful parasites.

• Once you create your habitat, consider registering it with a pollinator habitat program in your area and/or with a national organization such as Monarch Watch. Aside from their habitat programs, these organizations, as well as government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, also offer a wealth of online information about pollinators and creating pollinator-friendly habitats.

Another valuable resource is Monarch Joint Venture, a partnership of organizations, agencies, businesses and higher education based programs across the country that support monarch conservation. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a non-profit dedicated to helping pollinators (and named for an extinct butterfly), offers online resources and pollinator-related programs for communities, as well.

I Spy - Monarch Butterflies!

Seeing a monarch in your habitat is exciting, so share the news and help ongoing research efforts! Here are some ways you can do just that:

• Participate in Monarch Watch’s tagging program, which helps track and understand migration. The organization’s website has information about tagging kits, how to tag monarchs and record sightings online.

• Track your monarch sighting with Journey North, a program with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The program relies on everyday people to report monarch sightings, along with descriptions of the butterfly’s activity and photographs. For this reason, Journey North is considered one of the largest citizen-based science programs in North America. 

How to Identify Monarch Butterflies

Not sure that's a monarch in your yard? You're not alone. Other butterflies with similar coloring are often mistaken for monarchs, especially the viceroy. Here are some things to look for to easily identify a monarch, even its sex:

• Monarch wings are deep orange with thick black veining. The wings also have white spots along the edges. The underside of the wings, visible when the wings are closed, are mostly pale orange and black.

• The black veining is thinner on the wings of a male monarch than a female. The male also has a single black dot on each of its hindwings.

A male monarch

• Viceroy butterflies look nearly identical to monarchs except they have black line that the crosses the lower part of the wing. Monarchs do not.

• The wingspan of a monarch butterfly is about 3-to-4 inches wide and bigger than those of the viceroy.

Want to know more about pollinators and growing gardens they love? Check out this Take Note and Go story.