Butterfly Migration
The majority of butterflies have a very short lifespan of only a couple weeks and they never fly far from where they were born, but for others, such as the Monarch, butterfly migration does occur in the fall and spring. Most butterflies, however, only participate in butterfly migration once as those with the longest lifespan only live for around nine months.
The only butterfly migration that has been studied in any depth is that of the Monarch butterfly. Monarchs are one of the most recognized butterflies in North America. For many years they have been tagged on their wings so that their butterfly migration can be tracked. These beautiful butterflies who look quite delicate actually fly up to 2000 miles when they migrate. They can travel 80 miles a day at up to twenty miles per hour, and at heights near 10,000 feet.
Monarch butterflies migrate north to south in the late summer and from south to north in the spring. Although they don’t really eat much in the winter the butterfly migration for the Monarch is based on the availability of the milkweed plant. They lay their eggs on the return route and count on the milkweed plant to feed their young. Because so much milkweed has been destroyed by humans, experts believe the Monarch could be extinct in as few as thirty years.
Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico and California for the winter. Although a butterfly might not live to make it back to the home of the previous year, as with birds, the migration route is instinctive and the butterflies born from its eggs will make it home even though they have never been there before. This is the part of butterfly migration that is sometimes called generational migration.
Other butterflies who have a fall and spring migration in addition to the Monarch are the Painted Lady, Common Buckeye, American Lady, Red Admiral, Cloudless Sulphur, Skipper, Sachem, Question Mark, Clouded Skipper, Fiery Skipper and Mourning Cloak. No one really knows where the butterfly migration ends for species other than the Monarch. Most, however, are believed to settle in northern Mexico, the Gulf Coast States, and parts of California.
In good breeding seasons, some butterflies will make a one-way emigration in early fall to the far north where they will die. These one-way butterfly migrations are used to expand a butterfly’s range further north. This has been more prevalent since global warming began.
If you want to see butterfly migration firsthand, take a trip to Cape May, NJ in the middle of May. This oceanfront city is a mecca for butterfly enthusiasts, with thousands of butterflies a day traveling through on their way north.