BY Kimberly Gentry
A butterfly is a wisp of a creature. Small, delicate and weighing next to nothing. When it comes to monarch butterflies, though, add the word mighty to that description. These beautiful black and orange butterflies travel 50 to 100 miles in a day and several thousand in total as part of their annual migration across North America.
The monarch migration is considered a natural wonder, and its eastern flight path includes North Carolina. Monarchs pass through the state in late summer/early fall and then again in the spring. Migration timing can vary, but generally, late September is the peak time to see monarchs during their fall migration through the state.
“It’s kind of a hidden wonder. You see the single monarch in your garden and it’s out of context and you don’t realize it’s one part of millions,” said Jerry DeWitt, a Holly Springs resident who is also a retired professor of entomology and former state extension agent with Iowa State University.
Up to 100 million monarchs migrate annually according to estimates by Monarch Watch, a national, non-profit conservation and research program based at the University of Kansas. Monarchs migrate further than any tropical butterfly and are the only butterfly to annually complete a two-way migration over such a great distance, according to the organization.
“Monarchs are pretty unique,” said Kristen Baum, director of Monarch Watch and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the university. “We have other butterflies that migrate, but it’s a much shorter distance.”
Collectively, habitats along the monarch’s migratory routes are commonly called the “Butterfly Highway,” a conservation program of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF). This state-wide conservation initiative, which began in 2016, aims to restore habitats lost to urbanization and create a network of native flowering plants to support monarchs and other pollinators.
With so many miles to fly, it’s no wonder travel-related concepts, phrases and actual roadways are associated with monarchs.
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), for instance, works with state transportation departments from Texas to Minnesota to support its Monarch Highway habitat program along the Interstate 35 corridor, which corresponds with the butterfly’s central flyway.
And, in Illinois, the pollinator-friendly habitats of the Route 66 Monarch Flyway follow along the historic road’s scenic by-way from Chicago to St. Louis.
Begin Navigation, 3,000 Miles to Reach Your Destination
The monarch migration onramp starts in southern Canada and northern regions of the U.S. Monarchs spend their summer in these areas enjoying comfortable temperatures until the beginning of August when environmental cues, such as day length and temperature change, trigger the need to head south. Monarchs can’t survive harsh winters, so by the millions they metaphorically pack up and hit the road, or rather, the skies.
Monarchs that follow the Western North American migration path overwinter along the California coast. Monarchs flying along the Eastern North American migration path head to mountains of central Mexico.
By November, the monarchs reach their overwintering destinations and it’s time to rest. They roost in trees, covering a single tree by the tens of thousands.
Come early spring, vacation is over and it’s time to head home. During the spring migration, monarchs will pass through N.C. again.
As the monarchs travel back, they mate and lay eggs along the way. The resulting butterflies, which are the first- and second-generation descendants of the overwintering monarchs, will reach their northern breeding grounds by summer.
Monarchs then breed throughout the summer, producing two to three more generations, until August comes and it’s time to begin the fall migration south again. The only exception to the annual migration are the monarchs that permanently live in Florida.
Monarchs make the long journey south in a single generation, meaning a single butterfly travels the entire way, which could be up to 3,000 miles, according to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) research.
Amazingly, these monarchs that have never migrated south before instinctively travel the same path and roost in the same trees as the generations before them.
“It’s a real wonder,” said DeWitt. “I’ve been in awe of how monarchs can migrate and die out and offspring will inherit those same genetic tendencies, and if you will, knowledge, to be able to repeat that pattern of travel.”
Exactly how this internal homing device works remains a mystery, but researchers suspect it may be a combination of the sun’s position and the magnetic pull of the earth, according to USFS.
Construction Ahead: Maintaining the Monarch Highway
For these migratory “road trips,” monarchs need habitats — places to stop for food, rest and to complete their life cycle. It takes a lot of energy to fly 50 to 100 miles per day, so monarchs seek out habitats with nectar-rich flowering plants. The nectar has the energy and nutrition they need to power up and refuel.
Habitats with milkweed are absolutely crucial for monarchs. Part of the monarch butterfly life cycle is the larvae (caterpillar) stage and milkweed is the sole food source for monarch caterpillars.
With the loss of natural habitat through urbanization, stops filled with nectar and milkweed are harder to find and monarch numbers have declined as a result.
The NWF estimates the monarch population has dropped 90% since 1990, according to its website. The organization points to this as an indicator of habitat decline causing stress for monarchs and other pollinators in general.
“I would think of it as a ‘flagship species,’ as kind of being an ambassador for the larger community that uses that same type of habitat,” said Baum.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) notes on its website that the number of monarchs in overwintering sites has declined since communities and scientists began tracking them 20 years ago.
“This overwintering season was the second lowest on record,” Baum said and explained this is determined by comparing measurements of the areas where monarchs swarm in the trees each migration.
The status of the monarch population is an ongoing topic. In December 2020, the USFW did not include the monarchs on its list of endangered species, stating it was “warranted but precluded” because of other higher priorities.
Instead, the USFW encouraged ongoing monarch conservation efforts and stated it will continue to review the species’ potential listing each year. An updated decision is expected by December 2024.
Next Exit, North Carolina
Residents and communities can join conservation efforts by creating stops, a.k.a. habitats, along the highway. Together, these habitats not only help monarchs survive, but also other pollinators, such as bees and birds.
This is the exact thinking behind the pit stops of NCWF’s statewide Butterfly Highway program and the national waystation program by Monarch Watch.
“By protecting the monarch, you also protect other critical pollinators,” said Alden Picard, a conservation coordinator with NCWF, an affiliate of the NWF.
Picard noted that habitats of all sizes, whether in small planting containers or large public gardens, work together to help monarchs and other pollinators.
“What happens when everybody gets involved, is we start to glue back together and connect corridors of habitat with our pollinator pit stops,” he said.
“Like it says in the name, it gives them a highway, a corridor, areas to complete their life cycle, in an otherwise urbanized and fragmented landscape. So, it’s kind of like the glue. These pollinator pit stops are the glue for conservation. And it starts with one and it just builds and it snowballs.”
NCWF has over 3,400 registered Butterfly Highway pit stops across North Carolina, as well as some in neighboring states. One such stop is at the Holly Springs Food Cupboard (HSFC), a non-profit charity that provides food, including from its own garden, to an average of 437 families in need per month.
“We want [the pit stop] to serve as a model and help educate the public,” said DeWitt. “It’s part of giving back to the community.” In addition to being a retired entomologist and educator, DeWitt is also on the HSFC’s board and serves as the garden director.
Fellow volunteer and Holly Springs resident Angela Hawkins coordinates the HSFC’s pollinator garden pit stop, which is also certified as a Wildlife Habitat with the NWF. She stressed the importance of the pit stop not only helping monarchs and pollinators, but also benefiting the charity’s garden since pollination is crucial for plants to reproduce and grow.
“What has been so striking for me over the years is that when you plant these, I don’t even know where the wildlife comes from, but they find it,” said Hawkins, who works at the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary and whose background is in environmental education.
“The number of different species I’ve seen [at the HSFC’s pit stop] and documented in my own yard — it’s phenomenal. I think it’s wonderful because we are helping humanity by providing them food and then helping the natural things we share the planet with by providing them food, as well. For me, that’s very, very important and I love that we are doing both of those things here.”
Hawkins said when she thinks about the monarch migration and nature in general, she’s struck by its wonderment.
“I think about this all the time, whether watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly — something that looks totally different — or like an owl when it flies, it’s completely silent, no sound. It’s been measured, the sound waves have been measured and they don’t move. How can something fly and not make a sound? I always joke that magic is real and we just call it nature.”
Katie Thompson’s third grade students at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy in Holly Springs annually support monarchs through a letter-writing campaign encouraging leaders to take the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.
The NWF started the program in 2015 and since then more than 600 mayors and local community leaders have taken the pledge, which involves creating habitats and encouraging residents to do the same. Thompson, who teaches global education at the school, added the letter-writing activity to her pollinator lessons beginning in 2018.
“After learning about monarchs, specifically their migration, life cycle, and drastically decreasing numbers, the kids are so eager to help this endangered species,” said Thompson, who is also an officer and long-time member of the South Wake Conservationists, a local chapter of NCWF.
“Raising awareness and getting towns and cities on board by signing the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge is the best thing we can do from our classroom to make the biggest difference for monarchs.”
Former Holly Springs mayor, the late Richard “Dick” Sears, was the first mayor in Wake County to sign the pledge (and at the students’ request). The town’s current mayor, Sean Mayefskie, also signed the pledge. Overall, 17 mayors have accepted the students’ request, including some in places as far as Georgia, Texas and Canada. Thompson said the NWF is now sharing the letter-writing idea with teachers across the U.S.
In addition to writing mayors, Thompson’s students also give away free milkweed seeds at the Holly Springs Farmers Market.
The Town of Holly Springs has numerous efforts to support monarchs and pollinators, especially at Bass Lake Park. For instance, the town maintains native plants along the shoreline, created a native plant demonstration garden and partnered with the South Wake Conservationists on a milkweed planting project.
In an effort to encourage others to cultivate their own garden, the town gives away native plants and seeds during its annual Wild About Nature festival at Sugg Farm, which is part of Bass Lake Park.
Hawkins said she’s excited about the growing enthusiasm for monarchs because it helps raise awareness about insects and other pollinators.
“I love monarchs because they are important in and of themselves, but they have also created this bigger interest in the bigger picture of how important insects are and especially in bringing awareness to the decline of insects. They are just so important for both of those reasons.
“And, I have found people are drawn in by the monarch and then all the sudden they are like, ‘What’s that butterfly? What’s that bee?’ and then they stop using as many pesticides and all of the sudden they are appreciating things they thought were creepy or scary or just didn’t understand.”
Baum noted how monarchs connect people. “Monarchs are definitely unique for many aspects, the migration being one of those,” she said. “And they’re also a great connector of people. The number of different organizations and groups that have come together to support monarchs and even thinking about, you know, so many classrooms in K through 12 that have included monarchs. So, it’s such a huge part of lots of people’s lives, they have monarch stories they remember.”
Join the Highway Crew
If you want to help monarchs by adding your own highway habitat filled with nectar and milkweed, here are some suggestions to get you started. Plus, ways to learn more about monarchs in general:
• Check out the website for NCWF (ncwf.org) and Monarch Watch (monarchwatch.org) for tips and tools to create and register habitats that help monarchs along their journey.
• Fill your garden with plants native to your area. Pollinators native to an area evolved alongside these plants and their life cycles work in tandem. For instance, plants blooming exactly when monarchs and other pollinators need nectar.
• Plant a variety of brightly colored, nectar-rich flowering native plants that attract monarchs and other pollinators. Purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, cardinal flower, garden phlox, and aster varieties are popular and easy-to-grow choices for this area.
• Have something blooming from spring through summer. Goldenrod is a nice addition to a garden since it blooms in the late summer and early fall after many other plants have stopped.
• Plant native milkweed varieties, such as common milkweed, swamp milkweed and butterfly weed. Both common and swamp milkweeds spread by seed and rhizomes (runners), so those are best for larger gardens. Butterfly weed does not spread by rhizomes, so it works well in smaller gardens. It also does well in areas with drier soil and lots of sun. Milkweeds are also flowering nectar plants, which benefit additional pollinators.
• Look for native milkweed at plant nurseries and plant sales, such as those at the HSFC and the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. Through its Butterfly Highway program, NCWF offers seed packets for sale online that include two types of milkweed and a variety of native flowering plants. Monarch Watch has an online Milkweed Market for buying flats of plant plugs, including a free program for schools and habitat restoration sites.
• Avoid planting tropical milkweed. Since tropical milkweed isn’t native to the U.S., it blooms at the wrong time and can disrupt the monarchs’ migration. It can also carry a harmful parasite.
• Participate in Monarch Watch’s ongoing monarch tagging program, which is a large-scale community science project that aids research. Citizens tag monarchs and release them, as well as record any tagged monarchs they encounter. Check the organization’s website for information about tagging kits and how to tag.
• Sign up for the Butterfly Highway newsletter by NCWF for a variety of helpful tips and interesting stories.
• Track any monarch sighting with Journey North (www.journeynorth.org). Journey North, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, is described as the largest citizen-based science program in North America. The program relies on everyday people to report monarch sightings, which become part of an online searchable map. Sightings include descriptions of monarch activity and photographs.
Learn more about the Holly Springs Food Cupboard by visiting hsfoodcupboard.org or sending an email to info@hsfoodcupboard.org. Check the website if you’re interested in volunteering, have non-perishable food items to donate, or wish to request a food donation.
