Quietgentleman
01-29-2009, 06:31 PM
I just finished watching Nova and it was about the Monark butterfly and their migration out of Mexico to North United States and Canada and back to Mexico. I knew about this migration but I wasn't aware of the intricacy of this migration. I learned that as they leave Mexico the get into Texas and breed then die. Their offspring then continue north to breed and die. This generation continues farther north breed and die. By now the third generation has flown to the northern reaches of their migration and breed and die. Now here's where it get to be an amazing migration. The now fourth generation hatches and starts a 2000 plus mile migration back to Mexico. Crossing the great lakes and continueing back to Mexico. This generation is the longest living generation of the four. They winter over in Mexico arriving there in November and remain there until spring and start their flight back north then breed and die.
But what I thought was really cool was back in 92 some butterflys were capured tagged in Kansas then flown out to Washington DC and released. For the first day their path south was like they would take if they were still in Kanasas. But a day or two later they corrected their flight path to more of a westerly path than straight south and arrived in Mexico on time.
I'm thinking of taking a trip one of these years to see this and just wonder in amazement of this wonder.
QGM
But what I thought was really cool was back in 92 some butterflys were capured tagged in Kansas then flown out to Washington DC and released. For the first day their path south was like they would take if they were still in Kanasas. But a day or two later they corrected their flight path to more of a westerly path than straight south and arrived in Mexico on time.
I'm thinking of taking a trip one of these years to see this and just wonder in amazement of this wonder.
QGM