The great monarch migration: how weather and nature play a role in their journey

As late summer fades into early autumn, subtle shifts in our atmosphere trigger one of the most incredible migrations on Earth, and you most likely notice it right in your backyard.

Monarch butterflies are starting to make their way back from the Northern United States, and they have a long journey ahead, traveling to areas like Southern Florida and into Mexico.

Cindy Besch-Williford, the current President of the Heart of Missouri Master Gardeners chapter, met me at the butterfly house at Jefferson Farm and Gardens to talk about this migration, and states that "The adult that emerges is different from adults that would emerge in the middle of the summer"; more specifically, "they are designed to travel, not to breed."

The most interesting thing she mentioned, though, is that "Every generation that migrates has never migrated before. It's just a part of their genetic makeup to be able to make that trip."

So, not only are they experiencing this entire trip for the first time, but they are also experiencing entirely new weather in one journey. This, on top of the distance, makes for a rather grueling excursion. There is much they need to do in order to prepare, and even more they need to do to make it to their destination safely.

Cindy mentions that, "They really need to have a lot of nectar plants, and that's our classic flowering plants, and many of the native species that are present in the fall and abundant in the fall are really good nectar producers, so the path they take generally takes them over areas where they're going to be able to provide the right kind of energy source or nectar to help them on their journey."

If you want to help the monarchs in any way you can, Cindy brought up that you could plant, "patches of common milkweed, swamp milkweed, there are many varieties. The butterflies will use as host plants", but she also warned that "Trying to be very careful about insecticide use will also minimize the risks they might have of being exposed to it on their journey south."

If you also want to learn more about these monarchs, there are many events in the near future being held in and around Columbia. For example, there will be monarch tagging sessions that are held on September 19th, 21st, and 28th at Bonnie View Nature Center in Columbia, with an additional event on September 26th at Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge in Boonville.

At these events, volunteers will be able to catch a butterfly, record information about it, and then finally place a special, weatherproof sticker on one of the wings. This tracks individual butterflies without impacting their flight, and it helps researchers collect more data on where they are coming from and where they are heading each year.

These monarchs are important pollinators, so even the littlest things like putting some milkweed in your backyard will help not only them, but also our ecosystem.