Essentials

Monarch migration

ON THE MOVE

The flight of the monarch butterfly may seem like a straightforward event, but it’s anything but simple. It’s a complicated trip, involving several generations. Plus, there’s both an eastern and a western migration, with many monarchs in the West wintering as far north as the coast of California. Take a look at their flight paths (above) and the generation cycle for eastern monarchs (right) to better see how this incredible event works.

LEARN MORE

Go to nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/ migratingmonarchs.htm to keep reading about monarch migration.