The annual migration of North America’s monarch butterfly is a unique and amazing phenomenon.
Traveling Monarchs: 
Did you know that Monarchs cannot survive the cold winters of northern climates so using environmental cues, they know when it is time to travel south for the winter? Monarchs in Eastern North America have a second home in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico while monarchs in Western North America overwinter in California. They use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel these long distances, traveling as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter homes! Individual monarchs can travel between 50-100 miles a day and it can take up to two months to complete their long journey.
The farthest ranging monarch butterfly recorded traveled 265 miles in one day?! Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others.
Clustering: 
Not only do they make this unique and incredible journey, but they go together. Monarchs cluster together to stay warm. Tens of thousands of monarchs can gather on a single tree! Monarchs only travel during the day and need to find a roost at night. They gather close together during the cool autumn evenings. These roost sites are important to the monarch migration. Many of these locations are used year after year. Often pine, fir and cedar trees are the butterflies preferred choice. These trees have thick canopies that moderate the temperature and humidity at the roost site. In the mornings, monarchs bask in the sunlight to warm themselves.
These fascinating, incredible creatures deserve our respect and help. Every backyard can become an oasis for monarchs and other pollinators by planting pollinator attracting cultivars. It’s important that we provide these beautiful butterflies a place to rest so that they can continue their amazing journey!
Check out all the pollinator attracting plants we have at WaysideGardens.com.