Like some humans that live in the northern parts of the United States (or any part of Canada), monarch butterflies like to head south each winter. And who can blame them? Living here during the cold, wet months is tricky for us, let alone something with such thin wings.
And while we may be waving goodbye to the beautiful orange-and-black insects for part of the year, people in different parts of the country will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of them en route to warmer climes. Here’s what to know about spotting monarch butterflies during their migration south.
What to know about monarch butterflies’ fall migration
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Each year between September and November, the monarch butterflies of North America make their way down south—specifically, to two locations. According to Monarch Watch, a nonprofit educational outreach program focused on the monarch butterfly, the winged-insects that summer west of the Rocky Mountains travel to small groves of trees along the coast of California. The monarchs who reside east of the Rocky Mountains prefer mountain forests in Mexico.
When to look for migrating monarchs in your area
North American monarch butterflies don’t pick at certain date each year and all travel together: They base their fall departure on temperature changes, and the amount of daylight a particular location gets.
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The easiest way to figure out when the butterflies will be passing through your area is using this chart, courtesy of Monarch Watch:
If you don’t know your latitude offhand, it’s one quick search away (i.e. “Omaha latitude”). And where do these dates come from? Monarch Watch notes that these are general guidelines, rather than dates set in stone, which indicate when when a decent numbers of monarchs should be observed at each latitude. Here’s more:
These predictions are derived from reports to Monarch Watch, first-hand observations and the records of thousands of tagged butterflies that have been recovered over the years. The migration record at specific locations for any given year may differ from this overall pattern but it has proven to be remarkably consistent when viewed as a large-scale phenomenon.
They also have this handy map, if you’d like an additional visual aid:
So check the chart, grab some binoculars, and enjoy the butterflies.