Emma: Yeah, there's the eastern population and the western population. But we know they're not genetically distinct. And they cross those mountains. Now there's unique migration. So the monarchs you all see in Wisconsin go down and funnel through Texas and Oklahoma, and then they go into, Michoacan area of Mexico and are spending the winter in really high mountains in the middle of the continent, as opposed to the butterflies I work on, which are spread out across the west. And then they go to coastal California, really close to the beach. So both populations have this very different migratory path, but they're really the same butterflies. And we know there's a lot of flow between the two populations.
Mickenzee: Very cool. I think if I were a butterfly, I'd probably be a Western Monarch so that I could spend my winter on the beach too, that sounds pretty cool.
Emma: I know, they choose a really good, convenient location, like trekking into high forests in Mexico.
Mickenzee: And Emma, you grew up here around Madison. And did you have an interest in monarchs even when you lived in Wisconsin?
Emma: Yeah, I definitely grew up loving the outdoors, loving being outside. And my dream was definitely if I could work, not in an office, but be outside. And now I work in an office and I get to be outside. But, yeah, my parents took us, you know, camping and hiking and canoeing and just even, like, exploring in Six Mile Creek. I grew up north of Madison in Waunakee, just all those, you know, experiences to have really, hands-on engagement with the world. And so definitely always had an interest. And I remember, finding a monarch caterpillar with my sister in our garden and raising it and letting it, you know, out in the world and then liking to imagine that every year that same butterfly was coming to visit us. Yeah, that butterfly was long gone. But maybe, it's great great grandchildren who were coming back. So, yeah, I think that that connection and what I love about monarchs is that they're found in so many places. They are not just found, you know, in natural areas or pristine habitat. They're found in milkweed growing in a crack in your driveway. You know, that can host a monarch. So I think just the ability for these butterflies to move over huge landscapes and, you know, visit people in rural areas and natural areas in cities and suburbs and everywhere in between is really incredible.
Mickenzee: Yeah, it's a really cool species that a lot of people can be familiar with. So all of our questions today were submitted by the third graders at Lincoln Elementary School. Our first question is “Why do monarchs migrate?”
Emma: It's a great question, and I think the most honest answer is we are still learning why they migrate. But we have some ideas. And so, like birds, you know, they're often tracking the weather, they're tracking food. They may be escaping diseases or predators, things that want to eat them. So if you think about Wisconsin in the winter, it's not the best place if you're a little fragile butterfly. So you're going to need to escape those freezing temperatures. And so we know that in the fall that they're really driven to escape those freezing temperatures to go somewhere where they can, it's warm enough that they're not going to freeze, but it's not so warm that they're going to use up all of their energy.
Mickenzee: So what is, and this is my own question, So what is the signal to butterflies to start migrating?
