Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • United States
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. United States
  3. 2019
  4. November 25
  5. Monarch butterflies wintering in Michoacán, Mexico
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Monarch butterflies wintering in Michoacán, Mexico

November 25, 2019

Monarch butterflies wintering in Michoacán, Mexico

© Sylvain Cordier/Getty Image

The migrating monarchs of Michoacán

Probably the most recognizable of all the butterfly species, monarchs are helpful pollinators that can be found across the United States and Canada in the summer. But each fall, millions of these orange and black beauties embark upon one of the world's most amazing migrations. The insects make use of air currents to make the long journey south to the mountains of southwestern Mexico, a flight of up to 3,000 miles. Aside from being a staggeringly great distance for these delicate insects to fly, it's also a journey to a place that not one of them has ever been to before. And unlike the many bird species that undertake annual round-trip migrations, these butterflies will never return to the north. Why not? Because the distance and length of the total annual migration cycle is greater than the lifespan of individual monarchs.

The monarchs travel here to the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, in search of a safe, warm place to spend the winter. They huddle together on trees known as sacred firs, which create an optimal microclimate that ensures the temperatures don’t go too high or low. The butterflies will stay here through the winter before starting the cycle all over again in March, when they begin to fly back north. After a relatively short distance, these monarchs will stop to mate and lay eggs on milkweed plants. The eggs will hatch after just a few days, eventually transforming into the next generation of adult butterflies to continue the trek back north. The annual cycle takes four or five generations of monarchs to complete, so the butterflies are following in the path most recently traveled by their great-grandparents (or so).

How do they know where to go if they've never been where they're going? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but they think monarchs use the sun as a compass and are compelled to migrate to follow the flowering path of their food source, milkweed.

butterfly moths and butterflies invertebrate insect animal plant tree

Related Images

European honeybees in Sheffield, EnglandEuropean honeybees in Sheffield, England
Mediterranean red sea stars, Mediterranean SeaMediterranean red sea stars, Mediterranean Sea
Gamboa Crater, MarsGamboa Crater, Mars
A pair of silver-studded blue butterfliesA pair of silver-studded blue butterflies
Glass octopus in the Atlantic Ocean off Cabo VerdeGlass octopus in the Atlantic Ocean off Cabo Verde
Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Eil Malk, PalauGolden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Eil Malk, Palau
Blue linckia sea stars off New Ireland in Papua New GuineaBlue linckia sea stars off New Ireland in Papua New Guinea
Old World swallowtail butterflies on a flowerOld World swallowtail butterflies on a flower

Today on Bing

Monks Mound at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville, Illinois

Monks Mound at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville, Illinois

Nov 25, 2022
Red squirrels in Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland

Red squirrels in Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland

Nov 25, 2021
A grove of American elm trees at Central Park's Mall, New York City

A grove of American elm trees at Central Park's Mall, New York City

Nov 25, 2020
Varenna, Italy, on the shore of Lake Como

Varenna, Italy, on the shore of Lake Como

Nov 25, 2018
Pont Saint-Bénézet and Rhône River at dusk, Avignon, France

Pont Saint-Bénézet and Rhône River at dusk, Avignon, France

Nov 25, 2017

Related Tags

invertebrate reef animal insect aquarium marine invertebrates underwater water fish butterfly moths and butterflies plant diving coelenterate hydrozoan starfish flower sunflower bee pollen
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
Download 4K Ultra HD
Download 1920x1080
  • © 2023 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.