Fall Migration Starts in August
Here Comes the Migratory Generation
By mid-month, the first members of the migratory generation will emerge in the north. These butterflies are the great-great-grandchildren of the monarchs that left overwintering sanctuaries along the coast of California in the United States and the Monarch Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico last spring. This generation has a long and challenging life ahead: they will migrate to their overwintering locations this fall, survive the winter, and return to their breeding territories in spring 2023.
Monarch numbers reach their peak by fall migration. At no other time of year is the population larger. Monarchs produce four generations during the typical breeding season and the population grows with each new generation.
Monarch Fall Roost Data Visualization
For the past year, Journey North program coordinator Nancy Sheehan has been working with FieldScope/BSCS Science Learning to develop a learning module using Journey North monarch fall roost data.
FieldScope is an online platform for citizen and community science projects with tools and educational materials for visualizing and analyzing data. The Journey North visualization was unveiled during a recent educator training workshop held at the UW–Madison Arboretum.
What to Report
When you see a monarch, we want to know. Please report your observations of monarch adults, eggs, and larvae. Start now — and continue to report until you see your last monarchs of the season. Fall migration is about to begin!
