The Monarch Migration: Coming to a Town Near You!

Now that it’s September, the annual monarch butterfly migration is underway in much of North America—and you may be on their flight path! Each year, these intrepid insects fly more than 3,000 miles from the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada to reach their winter roosting grounds in the high-elevation fir forests of Mexico’s Central Highlands. What’s truly incredible is that they manage to get to this narrowly focused location never having been there before in their short lives! Court Whelan, who holds a PhD in entomology and is a monarch expert and the author of a photo book on monarchs, reveals how the butterflies pull off this incredible phenomenon, with advanced navigation techniques, an internal circadian clock and millions of years of evolution on their side. Join Court for an in-depth look at the delicate yet hardy monarch butterfly, learning about its fascinating life cycle and “hibernation” period in Mexico, which you can witness with us this winter.


Originally presented September 15, 2020