How Do Monarch Butterflies Navigate Their Epic Migration?

[Ivan Seeking]

Orange-and-black wings fill the sky as NOVA charts one of nature's most remarkable phenomena: the epic migration of monarch butterflies across North America. NOVA's filmmakers followed monarchs on the wing throughout their extraordinary odyssey.

...Shedding light on this natural wonder are some of the world's leading monarch researchers, including Lincoln Brower of Sweet Briar College, independent biologist Bill Calvert, and Orley "Chip" Taylor of the University of Kansas.

Putting the monarch phenomenon into perspective, Taylor says, "You've got a butterfly that's originating in Toronto, or it's originating in Detroit, Michigan, or it's coming down from St. Paul or maybe even Winnipeg, and it's moving south. Somehow it finds its way to Mexico. Could you do that?"

No one yet knows how the butterflies do it, but Taylor's research reveals that they are expert navigators[continued]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/butterflies/about.html

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/butterflies/program.html

 

[yenchin]

Sigh...we used to be able to view NOVA (and we still can view those old ones), but the newer videos can only be viewed within the United States now :(

 

[runner]

Putting the monarch phenomenon into perspective, Taylor says, "You've got a butterfly that's originating in Toronto, or it's originating in Detroit, Michigan, or it's coming down from St. Paul or maybe even Winnipeg, and it's moving south. Somehow it finds its way to Mexico. Could you do that?"

The monarch migration is truly a remarkable mystery. It's unlike bird migrations where the year's newborns are guided to the over-wintering areas by those that know the way. So with birds, it is a learned thing. With the monarch butterflies, it is a first time trip for the entire migrating population. And not only do they cross the border into Mexico, but they travel to a a very specific area (not a large area either) in the mountains in Michocan where they roost in the forest and go into a type of hibernation. Their migration is quite an amazing thing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Sigh...we used to be able to view NOVA (and we still can view those old ones), but the newer videos can only be viewed within the United States now :(

Bummer! Maybe you will be able to view the newer ones when they're older ones.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The monarch migration is truly a remarkable mystery. It's unlike bird migrations where the year's newborns are guided to the over-wintering areas by those that know the way. So with birds, it is a learned thing. With the monarch butterflies, it is a first time trip for the entire migrating population. And not only do they cross the border into Mexico, but they travel to a a very specific area (not a large area either) in the mountains in Michocan where they roost in the forest and go into a type of hibernation. Their migration is quite an amazing thing.

Yes! That and a number of other aspects of this phenomenon are quite fascinating. Also, Nova did a great job. There is some beautiful cinematography in this one.

 

[edward]

Hey thanks Ivan I missed part of the program.