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Home , Butterfly, Diapause, Monarch, Monarch butterfly

Monarch ’s Migrating

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United States Department of Agriculture FS-909 Forest Service June 2008

Photo by Tanya Harvey Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS The ( the native plants they depend upon. They did so willingly. plexippus ) is among the most recognized, Now it is your turn to carry the torch, to pass along the studied, and loved of all of North knowledge and passion needed to keep our monarch America’s . Children study and their thriving. Your enthusiasm will monarchs in school. Researchers and be catching. citizen scientists track their migration and breeding. Conservationists and • Invite your family government agencies are concerned about threats to and friends along breeding, migration, and wintering habitats. for a walk through a wildflower meadow The annual migration cycle of the monarch butterfly has and keep an been described as the most spectacular in the insect out for monarch world. It has also been deemed an “endangered natural butterflies, larvae, phenomenon.” This and its migration are dependent and even those tiny upon conservation of habitats in all three North American monarch . —, the United States, and . • Learn the milkweeds native to your area. Awareness of the monarch butterfly’s life cycle and • Volunteer to make requirements is essential for their survival and an important a presentation in your town, especially at your local step in the conservation of this . Many government elementary or middle school. Help children make deep agencies, organizations, and individuals across North connections with that will last them all their lives. America are working on projects to conserve monarch habitats and their migration. Become a Citizen Scientist Monarch Butterfly No public land management agency has the staff or the budget to carry out all the necessary tasks to conserve and manage monarch butterflies and monarch habitats. Many Life Cycle agencies and organizations provide training enabling people The monarch butterfly, like to conduct monarch monitoring, give public programs, and other insects, has several lead public interpretive walks. life forms and stages prior to reaching adulthood. The Donate monarch has four distinct If you able, donate your time, talents, books, and monarch life stages: , (), (chrysalis), and butterfly photographs to schools, community groups, adult. garden clubs, or conservation groups.

The Migrating Generation For More Information During the summer breeding season, monarchs live from Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/

Photos by Tom Barnes 2 15 Photo by Anne Okonek Eastern North American Population recognized the importance of oyamel forests to monarch butterflies and created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere in Mexico Reserve in 1986. The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the Western North American Population States of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late . Monarchs living west of the Rocky Mountain range in North America overwinter in along the Pacific coast near Monarchs roost for the in oyamel forests at an Santa Cruz and San Diego. Here microclimatic conditions elevation of 2400 to 3600 meters (nearly 2 miles above sea are very similar to that in central Mexico. Monarchs roost level). The mountain hillsides of oyamel forest provide an in , Monterey , and Monterey cypresses in ideal microclimate for the butterflies. Here temperatures California. range from 0 to 15 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is lower, the monarchs will be forced to use their fat reserves. Flyways The in the oyamel forest assures the monarchs Traveling South won’t dry out allowing them to conserve their energy. Eastern North American monarchs south using several Directional Aids flyways then merge into a single flyway in Central . It Researchers are still investigating what directional aids is truly amazing that these monarchs know the way to the monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears overwintering sites even though this migrating generation to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic has never before been to Mexico! pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, Congregation Sites not one in particular. Monarchs only travel during the day and need to find a Clustering in roost at night. Monarchs gather close together during the cool autumn evenings. Roost sites are important to the Monarchs cluster together to monarch migration. Many of these locations are used stay warm. Tens of thousands after year. Often , fir and cedar are chosen for of monarchs can cluster on a roosting. These trees have thick canopies that moderate the single . Although mon- temperature and humid- archs alone weigh less than ity at the roost site. In a gram, tens of thousands of the mornings, monarchs them weigh a lot. Oyamel trees bask in the sunlight to are generally able to support warm themselves. the clustering butterflies, but sometimes branches break. Use of Peninsulas Protection of Oyamel Forest Monarchs traveling south congregate on Conservation of overwintering peninsulas. The shape habitat is very important to of the peninsula funnels the survival of monarchs. the migrating butterflies. The Mexican Government

Photo by Sue Sill LCHPR Inc. ( La Cruz Habitat Protection Project Inc.) 4 5 Photo by Anne-Marie Conard At its tip, the monarchs find the shortest distance across Habitat Needs open . They congregate along the shore to wait for a gentle breeze to help them across. Milkweeds and Traveling North Sources Whether it’s a field, roadside As warm temperatures area, open area, wet area, or and lengthening days urban garden; milkweed and arrive, the migratory flowering plants are needed generation of mon- for monarch habitat. Adult archs finishes the de- monarchs feed on the nectar velopment they halted of many flowers, but they prior to their migra- breed only where milkweeds tion. They become re- are found. productive, breed and lay the eggs of the Importance of Milkweed new generation. This Many butterflies have a starts the northern single plant required as a journey back to North America. Unlike the generation before food source for their larval them, who made a one-generation journey south, succes- form called a host plant. sive generations make the journey north. Milkweed is the host plant Multiple Generations for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop Generation 1 monarchs are the offspring of the monarchs into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. who overwintered in Mexico. Each successive generation travels farther north. It will take 3-4 generations to reach Different Types of Milkweed the northern United States and Canada. Over 100 species of milkweed exist in North America, but We Are Connected only about one fourth of them are known to be important host plants for monarch butterflies. Because all the migrating monarchs are concentrated in just a few locations during the winter, they are especially vulner- So Why Milkweed? able to harsh weather and to activities that disrupt or destroy their habitat. This can reduce the number of Protective Chemistry monarchs that leave the overwintering sites in the spring. Similarly, migrating and breeding monarch populations are Milkweed contains a a variety of chemical compounds that vulnerable to harsh weather and to human activities that make monarch poisonous to potential predators. reduce milkweed and nectar sources. This can reduce the Milkweeds contain a cardiac (heart) poison that is poisonous number of monarchs that reach overwintering sites. to most ( with backbones) but does not hurt the monarch caterpillar. Some milkweed species have

Photo by Anne Okonek 6 7 Photo by Mary Lata their journey. Having these islands of nectar sources is landscape ecology, small- wood product particularly important within large areas of urban and development and marketing, and community incentive agricultural development. The discontinuous patches of programs. Working with local communities adjacent to nectar sources are “corridors” that monarchs will follow, the Monarch Butterfly sanctuaries, project participants like stepping-stones across a stream to complete their worked to reforest lands using native tree species-with migration. the long-term goal of establishing alternative sites for extracting wood. Apart from reforestation, the Model Conservation in North America Forest and its partners have worked on recreation and eco-tourism. The persistence of the monarch butterfly’s spectacular • North American and unique migratory phenomenon is dependent on the Monarch Conservation conservation of habitats in Canada, the United States, and Plan. Mexico. No species better symbolizes the ecological links Representatives among the three countries. of agencies, academia, and nongovernmental Many government agencies, organizations, and individuals organizations from across North America are working on projects to conserve Canada, the United monarch habitats and the migration phenomenon. States, and Mexico are working together to • Since 1993, the U.S. Forest Service International develop a North American Programs has been working with Monarch Butterfly Monarch Conservation Biosphere Reserve managers and partners in the region Plan to address monarch to build management capacity, to provide guidance to conservation utilizing communities for resource management, and to conserve a habitat-based flyway natural resources in the core zone of the Reserve. Staff approach. A nine-member from the Willamette National Forest and other units planning committee has has provided training been formed to develop and consultations to a plan that addresses the Reserve on forest monitoring, habitat conservation, and public outreach inventory, GPS/GIS and education. utilization, and design • Trilateral Monarch Butterfly Sister and maintenance The (SPA) Network of trails. Through a is a partnership of wildlife refuges and partnership with the national parks in the United States and Canada, and Monarch Model Forest, natural protected areas in Mexico working together partners developed on monarch conservation projects. The SPA network, proposals to help the a project of the Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Model Forest with Ecosystem Conservation and Management, collaborates recreation management, on monarch habitat preservation and restoration; research

Photo by Charles Peirce 10 11 Photo by Bob Nichols and monitoring; and environmental education and public • Attend local Earth Day activities in your town or outreach. participate in National Week activities. Things You Can Do Practice Good Stewardship Be a thoughtful consumer and a good citizen of planet Learn for a Lifetime earth. Garden responsibly, avoiding species that are invasive Take some time to learn about monarch butterflies as well and may escape into the local environment. Many native as other and their habitats. Where do you start? plants and natural areas are threatened by competition from . • Print and electronic media offer a staggering amount of Use native plants in your information on every butterfly gardens, as they aspect of monarch are the species that mon- butterfly biology, arch butterflies have always distribution, and depended upon. Native conservation. plants are adapted to your • Search the Internet local environment and do for information not require the extra care about the monarch that plants from far away butterfly. places require. When incorporating native plants into your • Contact your local public or university library. Library landscape, make sure they are not wild-collected. When staff can direct you to reference materials useful to the hiking through your favorite natural areas, enjoy the mon- beginner as well as those already knowledgeable about archs and native wildflowers and make note of their pre- monarch butterflies. ferred nectar plants, but do not collect them from the wild. • Local organizations such as garden clubs, your ’s native plant society, Master Gardener’s Program, Master Garden-worthy butterfly plants are often available from Naturalist’s Program, and other nature-oriented groups seed exchanges and native plant nurseries. Your local native may be great monarch butterfly resources. These plant society can provide you with a list of reputable local organizations and groups often offer public programs nurseries and garden centers that sell native plants benefi- about wildflowers, pollinators, butterflies, and monarch cial to monarchs and other pollinators. butterfly conservation. • Visit a nearby botanic garden or arboretum. They are Use care when using herbicides and pesticides. These vast resources of information and offer many workshops, chemicals can negatively affect non-target species. Rather field tours, and lectures open to the public. than broadcasting herbicides or pesticides, spot treat. • The Monarch Watch Reading Room has some great Overall, limit your use of herbicides and pesticides. Look for information about monarch butterfly resources. natural ways to reduce weeds or pests (flytraps, • Take a class about your local butterflies and wildflowers traps, or hand pulling weeds). Hire professionally trained at a nearby community college. Integrated Pest Management personnel who use physical controls and low toxicity products to manage pests.

Photo by Charles Peirce 12 13 Photo by Tom Barnes Become a Certified Monarch Waystation from 2-5 weeks during Register your butterfly garden as a Monarch Waystation and which they mate and lay assist in the conservation of the monarch butterfly in North the eggs that become the America. next generation. The last generation of the year does Be an Advocate not become reproductive and Find out what is planned is said to be in “reproductive for your neighborhood, .” These butterflies your , your state, and are the ones that migrate your national wildlife to Mexico where they refuges, national forests overwinter. These butterflies become reproductive in and grasslands, and February and March as they move north, laying eggs on other federal public milkweeds as they progress northward into the United lands. These are public States. Some of these butterflies can live as long as 9 lands, your lands. Speak months! up for conservation of butterflies, especially The migratory generation has an enormous task ahead of monarchs, native plants and their habitats. The agencies them. Weighing less than a gram, these unique butterflies responsible for the management of our public lands will fly between 2,000 to 3,000 miles to an overwintering invite public comment about their plans for managing, location in Mexico. developing, and regulating public lands. Embrace your civic privilege and make your voice heard. Migration and Overwintering Join Join a group that supports butterfly and plant conservtion. The annual migration of North America’s monarch butterfly At local, state, national, and international levels there is a unique and amazing phenomenon. The monarch is are many organizations that need your support, and will the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as welcome you as a member. Attending meetings of these birds do. Unlike other butterflies that can overwinter as organizations will be an enjoyable and enlightening larvae, pupae, or even as adults in some species, monarchs opportunity. You will meet other folks who are concerned cannot survive the cold of northern climates. Using about monarchs and other butterflies and their habitats. environmental cues, the monarchs know when it is time to The fellowship you will experience will inspire you, and travel south for the winter. Monarchs use a combination of your enthusiasm will inspire others, to care for delicate yet air currents and thermals to travel long distances. amazing insects.

Share Your Knowledge and Passion Where Do Monarchs Go? Others that came before you led butterfly walks, taught Monarchs in Eastern North America have a second home in local butterfly wildflower classes, and in so many ways the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Monarchs in Western shared their knowledge and passion about monarchs and North America overwinter in California.

Photo by Charles Peirce Photo by Charles Peirce 14 3 higher levels of these toxins Nectar and Nectar Corridors than others. Monarchs show Adult monarchs feed on the nectar from flowers, which preference to some milkweed contain sugars and other nutrients. Unlike the larvae that species. only eat milkweeds, adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of nectar bearing flowers. They will visit many different Protective Coloration kinds of flowers in their search for food. The adult monarch and monarch larvae are both An abundance of nectar sources is especially important brightly colored serving for migrating monarchs. Monarchs that are preparing to as a warning to potential migrate south to Mexico need to consume enough nectar to predators that they are build up fat reserves. The food they eat before and during poisonous. Unsuspecting their migration south must not only power them through predators only need to taste the long journey, but also must sustain them throughout a monarch butterfly or larva the winter. Over-wintering monarchs feed very little or not once to learn not to eat them at all. As monarchs again. Most animals quickly migrate south, they will spit them out. actually gain weight as they continue to feed on In Some Areas, Milkweeds are Considered nectar bearing flowers. to be Weeds Milkweeds are listed in some states and as In eastern North noxious weeds. Certain milkweed species are considered America, the monarchs noxious because they can be poisonous to cattle and other leave the over wintering livestock. In some locations it is difficult to improve habitat sites in the spring. for monarch butterflies because of the status of milkweed. Nectar is essential to Eradication of milkweed is a threat to the monarch butterfly. making the journey to Texas. Nutrition from There are additional threats to monarch butterflies, such as early spring nectar the use of herbicides and pesticides. bearing wildflowers provides the energy and nutrients for these monarchs to develop their reproductive organs. When A Few Bad Milkweeds they arrive in Texas, they will breed and then die. As the There are a several native and introduced milkweed plants new monarchs emerge they will make their way north. It will in the genus Cynanchum (swallow-worts) that are also take three more generations of monarchs to complete their eaten by monarchs. Swallow-worts have similar chemical journey northward and then start the migratory cycle once properties to milkweeds in the genus , that fool again. monarchs into laying eggs on them. Cynanchum species are not suitable food for monarch larvae. Caterpillars fail to Nectar corridors are a series of habitat patches containing develop into pupae when feeding on them. Please do not plants that flower at the appropriate times during the spring plant these milkweeds in your garden. and fall migrations. These patches provide stopping-off points for the migrating butterflies to refuel and continue

Photo by William Glass 8 9 Photo by Bob Nichols