Monarch Butterfly Migration |
Biology 342 Fall 2016 | |
Matthew Dickinson and Manamaya Peterson |
Photo: Wikimedia Commons The Flight of The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)OverviewWe have decided to investigate the Monarch Butterfly's famous migration, which spans nearly the whole continent of North America. Monarch mirgation is a phenomenon that is not completely understood by science but one that is continously fascinating because of many of its features. The wonder that these small insects invoke when they undertake the thousands of miles journey from the northern most parts of the United States to the South of Mexico. The puzzles that monarch migration presents are how they find their way on the migration to their overwintering grounds, especially when it usually takes about three to four generations to parttake in the whole migration cycle. Understanding why and how these fragile animals make this long journey is an important task that we must undertake if we are to make serious efforts in their conservation. Photo: Xerces Society Photo: Sonia Altizer
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