The Journey of 1,000 miles begins with one “flap”

If you could fly south for the winter, what destination would you choose?  Just ask any Monarch butterfly and they will tell you that Mexico is nice this time of year. Perhaps one Monarch in particular may make that very journey to Mexico.  She might drive south to lay the eggs that will hatch and make the same journey back to Florida next summer.  Either way she didn’t go unnoticed during her stay at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.  Her name is PBR 339. 

On Nov. 14, Eddie and Lorraine Williford discovered PBR 339 on a hike from the campground.  The photos they took captured the tag located on her right wing as well as her namesake.  It is unknown at this time where PBR 339 received her accessory but the information will be processed.  It can be noted that the PBR 339 tag was issued in the Eastpoint, Florida region. 

Tagging Monarchs occurs each year from Canada to Mexico to Florida. These tags help track migration routes, survival rates and the influences of weather on the insects.  Monarchs thrive on milkweed, which is common throughout the entire North American Continent.  Monarchs however, cannot survive harsh cold winters and must travel to warmer latitudes to reproduce.  No one Monarch can take the complete trip to Mexico and back again but they will reproduce the offspring that can.  It is estimated that every third to fourth generation will make the migration, but how is still being researched.  It is estimated that they inherit the flight patterns and utilize the earth’s magnetic fields to navigate and travel to their locations.  The massive migration only occurs east of the Rocky Mountains.  The western population winters on the warm coastal and southern parts of California. 

If you wish to take part in the tagging or recovery process, you can visit www.monarchwatch.com to view more than 15,000 listed tags and their locations.  You can also purchase the kits used to tag your own butterflies.  The massive migration peaks are during mid to late October and early November for St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

For information about Florida State Parks, visit www.floridastateparks.org.

Until Next time,

From the ranger at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park