The days are growing shorter and colder, and birds, butterflies, and other animals are starting to head to warmer climates for the winter. These journeys are often thousand of miles—monarch butterflies can fly as far as 3,000 miles to winter in Mexico. On today’s Please Explain, we’ll find out how these animals know when and where to go. We’ll also talk about how climate change is affecting animal migration. We’re joined by Leon Kreitzman, co-author with Russell Foster of Rhythms of Life and Seasons of Life; and Dr. David Wilcove, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School, and Director of the Program in Environmental Studies, at Princeton University, and author of No Way Home: The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations.
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Comments [4]
The Mexicans for centuries have know of the monarch butterflies return and have incorporated this into their spiritual belief system. The butterflies are thought to be the spirits of the dead returning and are a celebrated symbol for their day of the dead holiday.
I understand that the Forests in Canada where the Monarch Butterflies land- are being cut down for wood- paper products--especaily by those who make products such as Kleenex- toilet paper Is there any movement or success in changing this to reserve the forests for the sake of the Monarchs ( not to speak of the obvious other reasons)
Maybe I missed this: does it take as many generations of monarch butterflies to migrate *to* Mexico as to get back to the eastern US? If not, how do they get aloft w/enough fuel for the trip--or do they stop in the same places where their ancestors made their generational stages?
I'm glad Leon mentioned that monarchs are different generations when they "return back" its amazing!
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