Monarch Butterfly Migration Explained in 4 Minutes

[@GriffWild]

Cool. Thanks. You're easy to listen to. Keep making videos. We need as many folks interested in biodiversity as possible.

[@doug8525]

When I was a young kid about six or so, we lived on a farm in Iowa. I woke up one morning and looked out the window to see a tree in the yard covered with monarchs. I dressed and went out to look. I had never seen anything like it and haven’t since. I tried to catch one to look at it but wasn’t quite tall enough. I got called inside for breakfast and when I came back out every one of them was gone. I’m grateful I got to see this amazing thing!

[@ShamanBalder]

Wow. This explains why my great grandmother moved from germany to the netherlands, before the second world war. And I moved from the Netherlands to Sweden. Monarch Butterfly behavior. Thanks nature for inspiring us. 🔥 Thanks Court Whelan. ❤

[@jamiearty]

Wow! You explained the monarch butterfly migration so well! Could you please do more videos? I really enjoyed watching this. Would it possible to do a video that goes further in to details of monarch generation migration? I’m also interested to hear your opinion on monarchs raised indoors vs. monarchs who live outdoors in their natural habitat. Are they stronger? Have better migration instincts?

[@courtwhelan]

thanks so much for this! Yes I hope to make more videos soon...this is great encouragement, thank you! I'll indeed aim to cover these topics next :)

[@courtwhelan]

thanks for this! Great idea on the new video. As far as indoor vs. outdoor raised, there's quite a bit of evidence on both sides of the equation. However, most experts today feel that those raised outdoors are the healthiest and have the proper migration instincts. However, there are a couple of extra things to consider. first, what you raise them on indoors can have an effect. That is, if you stick with normal "outside" light/dark cycles, temperature, and native, local hostplants, they will do better. Second, is that if you raise monarchs indoors in, say, a classroom, or for children at home, there is just cause to do so, as you're inspiring and informing the next generation--I can't overstate that enough. It's a vital thing to showcase science and monarch biology for children, so while it may be a bit healthier in general for them to stay outdoors, there are sometimes reasons to raise them indoors.

[@crystalclear7453]

I love the video because unlike others, it has actual information. I would love for you to elaborate more about the life cycle of the migratory kind and how their life evolves along their journey. What do they do at each stop? Where do they lay eggs or mate? Where do they go to rest and die? etc. Thank you, this subject is indeed fascinating.

[@courtwhelan]

Great questions! I'll aim to do another video before too long, but let me answer these here :). So, they undergo their entire lifecycle, from egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult, in late summer and early fall, somewhere in North America. In this generation, they eat milkweed and do al the normal butterfly things until they pick up queues from the environment to migrate. Then, along the way south, they stop briefly to feed, drink water, and to rest. These same monarchs make it all the way down to Mexico, spend 4 1/2 months, and then migrate back up to Southern US in the spring. They mate in Mexico and along the way, and then once they encounter milkweed again they lay their eggs and die. Then it's up to the next 3-4 generations to repopulate north america throughout the spring and summer, before the cycle starts all over again :).

[@AishawithanEye]

Monarch butterflies have fat reserves?

[@jessalinaaragon]

Simply amazing!! 🤯 mind blowing honestly

[@saltlifegull4091]

I don't understand - if a Monarch's life is two weeks, how do they do this?

[@courtwhelan]

Amazingly the migratory generation is 4x as long of a life, so while a normal monarch lives about 2 months, the migratory ones live about 8 months. All through genetics. Amazing!!

[@lauraelkins9902]

The 4th generation Monarch is much bigger as well so they can handle the long journey 😉

[@David-sc2ir]

One of natures greatest miracles! Right now (September 25, 2021) I am seeing hundreds of monarchs flying overhead. My location is the eastern slopes of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia... and they are headed due south :) They'll be back in the spring on their northward migration around late April/early May. Another great migration that just took place were the ruby throated hummingbirds which leave my area right around September 15 and return around April 15. Monarchs head to Mexico while the hummers head to Central America.

[@courtwhelan]

Fully agree, David! Thanks for writing!!

[@pamzibell6309]

I want to go to California this year to see them. Has anyone gone there and have any advise.

[@mariaogeda1923]

When they immigrated to Tx , thanks

[@JoeDuckMan]

straight to the point! great video

[@annafry1162]

Do butterflys that hatch in august in illinois Make it to Mexico in fall.?

[@courtwhelan]

@@annafry1162 very likely yes!!!

[@PabloBaum]

tell us more about the monarch and the Day of the Dead.

[@pamlevonius6034]

What can I plant to help sustain them?

[@courtwhelan]

The best thing you can do is to plant local milkweed and plant nectar plants. You can find out more at monarchjointventure.org on what types of plants they prefer :). Thanks for asking!

[@Cea100o]

My whole school viewed this and theres not one comment. Sad. Great Video Though. Hello From Olympic View Middle School in Washington State!

[@courtwhelan]

Thanks for watching!!

[@warrio617]

Is it possible to connect with you ?? We are from india ..my 5 yr old is very interested to know more about these butterflies

[@courtwhelan]

wonderful! Yes, feel free to email me at [e-mail]. Thank you!

[@brucebananto8092]

Amazing

[@anaibarangan4908]

The cycle has become much sooner. Now in May in the Southern US. That's extremely concerning.

[@courtwhelan]

well the cycle is year-round, but the migration to Mexico begins in late summer, like August or September (but yes, in May they are in their annual cycle and spreading across the US and southern Canada in what we call the summer period of the migration).

[@rebeccabieling]

Genetically, how is that possible? Wow!

[@debbiebayles2201]

I also heard about a butterfly that only lives for a few days. Do you know about this kind of butterfly?

[@courtwhelan]

when it comes to insects, usually the smaller the insect (butterfly) the shorter the lifespan. This is definitely not a universal statement, but a good rule of thumb. Thus, the smallest moths and butterflies usually do have pretty short life spans. I'm not personally familiar with which ones live only a few days, but frankly there is SO much mortality in insects from predation, parasitism, etc., that I'd imagine that while the full potential life span may be a month plus, the average (taking into account premature mortality) is much, much less. Hope this helps!!

[@truewax257]

Great video. Thank you! I think Bible verse applies… “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen through what has been made. So that those who deny it are without excuse” - Romans 1:20

[@MonarchMCA]

✨🦋✨

[@mdb1239]

You haven't explained anything. How disappointing. ""New research shows that it may take as many as five generations for monarchs to make it north out of Mexico, venturing as far as southern Canada, before returning and flying back south of the border for the winter."" Five generations -- how do these generations of monarch butterflies know where to go? How?????!!!!!!!????? This is a miracle for this to happen. A miracle.

[@courtwhelan]

Oh sorry you feel this way. Yes, nature can be variable and the repopulation of North America can take between 3-5 generations. The great thing is that science isn’t stagnant…new research is coming out all the time. I’m so grateful that the monarch receives so much public and research attention! I touch on their navigation/orientation abilities in this video, but perhaps I’ll make another focusing solely on this. Thanks for the idea!

[@mdb1239]

@@courtwhelan We humans are incredibly smart. So take a human infant and put him/her in the middle of northern Mexico and expect him/her to make it to Canada. Or take dumber animals like a monkey or cat or dog or buffalo and do the same thing. It can't be done. How does a couple of generations removed butterflies know where to go? Who told them where to go? And how do even more generations removed butterflies know where to go to go back? Impossible.