Monarchs Starting To Leave Mexico
The Monarchs’ migration north has begun! We are not the only part of the world that is experiencing unusually high temperatures — there has been a heat wave in Mexico this spring where the Monarchs overwinter, and it has them on the move, leaving their sanctuaries and beginning the more than 2,000 mile journey to New England.
This overwintering generation of Monarchs lays eggs in northern Mexico and southern U.S. and then dies. When their eggs hatch and develop into adults, usually by late April to early June, they continue the journey north that their parents began, laying eggs along the way. They begin to arrive in northern U. S. and southern Canada in late May.
To follow their progress northward, go to Journey North’s site, https://maps.journeynorth.org/map/?year=2020&map=monarch-adult-first. Although we probably won’t see any Monarchs in New England until the end of May at the earliest, it’s fun to be able to see exactly how far they have gotten as spring progresses. Journey North citizen scientists also monitor mammals, amphibians and birds. To participate in their research or to see their observations go to https://journeynorth.org/.
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