9/29/2025

N. WISCONSIN - Monarch butterflies have begun their two-and-a-half-month migration from northern breeding grounds to Central Mexico, with recent sightings in Wisconsin…

a journey timed with Dia de Los Muertos. Karen Oberhauser, a professor emerita, notes the celebration’s timing, though likely coincidental, creates a meaningful connection, symbolizing rebirth. Only “super generation” monarchs, 2% to 5% of eggs and caterpillars, complete this arduous, thousands-of-miles journey, weighing as little as a paper clip. Mortality is high, making it “an incredible story of survival against incredible odds.” Monarchs use day length as a migration cue, though climate change can pose threats. Some monarchs are now joining nonmigratory populations along the Gulf Coast, but most still complete the full migration to Mexico.