The Monarch Migration

Category: Sharing Garden photos | Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:42 pm

I was delighted and surprised to find 3 Monarch butterflies fluttering around my garden today. It seemed rather late for them to be this far north (Knoxville, TN) in November. So I went searching the internet to check it out. I discovered that the Monarchs cannot fly when the temperature is below 50 degrees on a sunny day or below 60 on a cloudy day. They roost close together in pine, fir, & cedar trees on cool autumn nights and after they are warmed by the warm sunlight they continue on their journey south. On the Monarch Watch website they said all the rain we have had may have slowed down their migration.

Several years ago I attended a lecture on the life cycle and migration of the Monarch butterflies given by a volunteer who spends 2 weeks in Mexico when the migration is at its peak. If you are interested in watching a short video on their migration, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFoSpaNqqeQ&feature=related

There are also many websites on the migration. This is just one that I viewed:
http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/migration/index.shtml

November Monarch ( photo / image / picture from gfreiherr's Garden )

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toni wrote on Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:12 pm:

Beautiful photo, I love watching them float around the garden.

Some of the migration stragglers children and grandchildren of the butterflies that began the migration in Aug/Sept. The Caterpillar I found on my milkweed yesterday, will pupate and continue it's journey south in a few days.

Jewell2009 wrote on Fri Nov 06, 2009 3:00 am:

Thanks for sharing. I love the monarchs, but live out of their range (no milkweed here or warm summers) Fascinating creatures :)

glendann wrote on Fri Nov 06, 2009 4:41 am:

I have had lots these past few days but yesteday and today was in the 70s and sunny so I guess they are on their way south again.They loved my Zinias too.

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