Our fascination with monarchs

Do you have monarch butterfly questions? Because we have answers! To celebrate Monarch Butterfly Week (May 5-9) we will host a Google Hangout with monarch experts.  Send your questions to [email protected] today, and be sure to tune in for our live Hangout on Thursday, May 8 at 1:30 p.m. EST to get your answers!  
Monarch butterflies are known for their amazing migration and eye-catching pattern on their wings. People seem to have a deep appreciation for monarchs and know something about its impressive migratory routes, even if they are not big nature buffs. Where does this fascination come from?

Here in Canada, it all started with a mystery. In the 1940s, Fred and Norah Urquhart, both passionate about butterflies, started working on a tracking experiment to see where monarchs travelled during the wintering months. Working to answer the question that puzzled them as scientists, they spent years finding the right kind of paper and glue to use on the delicate moisture-sensitive butterfly wings. They tagged thousands of butterflies with little labels that read, “Send to Zoology University of Toronto, Canada”. Fred and Norah founded the Insect Migration Association (today known as the Monarch Watch), enlisting thousands of citizen scientists and volunteers across North America to tag monarchs in order to track their route.  Based on tags found and mailed back, the two zoologists solved the mystery of where the millions of monarchs were migrating to every year—a tiny forested are in the mountains of Central Mexico.
This experiment inspired many across the world to express their interest in the monarch butterfly. Today there are several documentaries and movies that follow the monarch butterfly journey. For instance, the Flight of the Butterflies, a movie directed by Mike Slee in 2012, is a scientific adventure that follows Dana (a monarch butterfly) on her long journey from Mexico to Canada, along with her daughter and granddaughter. Four Wings and a Prayer, directed by Nick de Pencier in 2007, is another exciting feature length documentary portraying the monarch’s mysterious journey.

From the life cycle and migration of the monarchs to how these butterflies are embedded into the culture of Mexico, this species is one that many people love and are continuing to explore.
Learn more about these amazing species at wwf.ca/monarchbutterfly.  You can support WWF’s critical monarch conservation work in Mexico by making a $50 virtual gift today! You contribution will be matched by an anonymous donor in Mexico to help make double the impact.