Fact of the Day: The butterflies racking up frequent-flyer miles

Make every day more interesting. Each day a surprising fact opens a world of fascinating information for you to explore. Did you know that….? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

HOME    FACTS    ARTICLES

Original photo by Doug Kelley/ Unsplash Some monarch butterflies migrate 3,000 miles. No animal on Earth travels quite like the eastern monarch butterfly. Its journey begins in the early days of spring on a few mountains in central Mexico. Millions of the monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) fill the branches of oyamel firs, and as the temperature warms up, they soak in the sun and begin their epic journey northward — a 3,000-mile trip that looks more like a bird's migration than an insect's.  But it's not only the miles that make the butterfly's journey so remarkable — it's also the means. A typical monarch butterfly lives for only about four weeks, not nearly long enough to complete the journey to the northern U.S. and Canada. So the migration becomes a multi-generational one. In a typical year, it will take four generations for monarch butterflies to finish the seasonal quest their great-grandparents started. To return south in the fall, a "super generation" — also known as the Methuselah generation (after the long-lived biblical patriarch) because it can live eight times longer than its ancestors — will travel 50 miles a day by riding thermal currents southward before finally resting in the same oyamel firs in central Mexico. All hail the monarch!   The monarch butterfly is named after an actual monarch. The monarch butterfly is named after an actual monarch.

Monarch caterpillars survive thanks to a genus of plant called __, which provides both food and habitat. Monarch caterpillars survive thanks to a genus of plant called __, which provides both food and habitat. Numbers Don't Lie Area (in acres) monarch butterflies covered while wintering in Mexico in 2021 5.2 Number of monarchs that have ruled England and Britain over the past 1,200 years 62 U.S. interstate located in the central flyway of the eastern monarch migration path 35 Distance (in miles) of the longest yearly migration ever recorded, completed by an arctic tern in 2016 59,650 Mexican scientists are trying to move a forest to save the monarch butterfly. Despite the monarch butterfly's amazing resiliency, life isn't easy for the four-inch fluttering creature. Over the past 20 years, the number of eastern monarchs spending the winter in central Mexico has declined 80%, due to habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. To combat this decline, researchers are planting saplings of the oyamel fir — the tree preferred by the butterflies while overwintering — some 1,300 feet higher than the current range in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán, Mexico. The process is known as "assisted migration" or "assisted colonization," and the hope is that cooler temperatures at higher elevations will help the trees survive a warming climate and secure a safe place for monarchs to hibernate and prosper.    You might also like 5 Things Science Still Can't Explain From why we sleep to how a bike stays upright, these questions continue to puzzle scientists.

Make Every Day More Interesting. Email Preferences     Unsubscribe     Privacy Policy     Terms of Use Make Every Day More Interesting. Email Preferences     Unsubscribe Privacy Policy     Terms of Use Advertisements: Powered by AdChoices We love to collaborate. To learn more about our sponsorship opportunities, please connect with us here. 1550 Larimer Street, Suite 431, Denver, CO 80202