Monarch Migration
Each fall the monarch butterfly travels thousands of miles to spend the winter in the forests on 12 mountaintops in central Mexico. The monarch migration is the most spectacular two-way migration carried out by an insect.
The forests provide unique microclimatic conditions that allow monarchs to survive the winter. Forest degradation is putting this amazing migration in peril.
The abundance of monarchs shows a discouraging downward trend over the past 20+ years. Click on the graph to enlarge and on this link to read how the numbers were obtained.
In the Spotlight
Monarch butterfly counts were released today, March 21, 2023 and the numbers indicate that during the 2022-2023 overwintering season butterflies occupied 2.21 hectares of the forest, 22% less than in the previous year. To read an article written by our board member, Karen Oberhauser about what is currently happening with the monarchs click here. The press release from WWF can be found here and a news release from the Monarch Joint Venture here. Sobering news that prompts all of us to re-double our efforts to protect the monarch’s habitat in North America.