Long flight home
Stonington monarchs preparing for journey to MexicoBy Laura Mead
Article Photos
RAPID RIVER - The annual migration of monarch butterflies, which includes the Stonington Peninsula in its path, has been studied by the U.S. Forest Service for more than a decade. Officials say a large group of amber-winged insects recently took flight, heading south for the winter.
The U.S. Forest Service, Rapid River, has been involved in a monarch butterfly research project since 1992. Forest service volunteers go out to the Stonington Peninsula three times a day to monitor the butterfly larvae and count and tag the butterflies.
U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Janet Eckstrom said the Stonington Peninsula has always been a unique and special spot for the monarchs, as well as other wildlife.
"It's a migration corridor for neotropical migrants and monarch butterflies," said Eckstrom. "The north wind helps them across the water."
Eckstrom said the wind helps funnel the butterflies down south. Many may travel as far as 2,000 miles - a remarkable feat for such lightweight flyers. The monarch heads toward Mexico, spending the nights perched in trees. Once they've reached their destination, they winter in the mountains of the Sierra Madre.
The monarch butterfly is of special interest to wildlife biologists because of its mysterious sense of direction and timing. Eckstrom is uncertain just how the butterfly senses when to migrate and where to migrate to.
"They're not 100 percent sure what mechanism they use, whether it's the fact that the nectaring flowers are dying, or it's the change of the sun or the magnetic pole that directs them south," said Eckstrom.
For the past few weeks, Forest Service volunteer Pat Landry has been especially vigilant of the butterflies, because it's usually around this time the adult butterflies have stopped mating, have laid their eggs and are conserving energy for the long flight they're anticipating.
"With the cold front that just came in, they might be getting ready to go south," she said.
Landry's prediction proved correct.
Thursday morning, a large group of monarchs were warming up their wings, flitting from tree to tree on the peninsula. By 1 p.m., Forest Service volunteer Gina Badgett reported this particular group of butterflies had taken off.
Badgett said a bout of rain prevented the 30 or so butterflies left on the peninsula from following, but she expects this group, and a few others to fly off through the month of September.
The butterflies that make their way back to Stonington Peninsula next spring won't be the same that left. Eckstrom said they will most likely be a third generation.
