Butterfly Bonanza

Monach Migration
Monarch Gender
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Migration


In the winter, when the cold weather comes, monarchs must migrate, or fly, to warmer areas. The monarchs travel from Canada and the Northern United States to Florida, California and Mexico. They spend the winter resting and conserving their energy. They will need to use all of this energy to fly home in the spring. Sadly, few of the adults live long enough to complete their return. They lay eggs along the way, and new butterflies continue the journey.

In recent years, monarch reserves in Mexico, or safe places for monarchs to rest, are being destroyed. Logging companies have cut down the trees. As trees come down, butterflies are running out of places to live in the winter months.
For this reason, many monarchs are returning to Canada and the Northern United States too early. They have begun to return in March. In the cold weather, the monarchs are unable to survive. The frost quickly kills them. A second problem is that dusty, dry winds blow through areas where there are fewer trees. This forces the monarchs to land, wasting more of the energy they will need to return home.

 

monarchTo find games, puzzles, coloring pages and more butterfly links, click on this monarch butterfly.