A monarch butterfly from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, has gained local fame after successfully completing an extraordinary journey across North America, culminating in Mexico this month.
Covering over 3,300 kilometers in a span of 70 days, this magnificent butterfly accomplished what scientists once deemed impossible: flying across two Great Lakes.
The young female, designated as MAN26021, was one of many tagged by researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation on Manitoulin Island in late August.
This tagging was part of a research initiative aimed at studying the migratory behaviors and flight patterns of these insects.
The tags affixed to their thorax transmitted data via solar-powered radio transmitters.
A monarch butterfly tagged with a solar-powered radio transmitter, a tiny device weighing less than a grain of rice. (Manitoulin Nature Club)
Joe Shorthouse, a retired entomologist from Laurentian University and an experienced butterfly researcher, mentioned that he and his team could monitor MAN26021 using the Project Monarch app.
This young monarch, roughly the weight of a paper clip, flew over Lake Huron and Lake Michigan before making its way through the U.S. to reach the Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, an overwintering site located about 100 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.
Shorthouse described this as a remarkable success story in the realm of nature.
“For the first time in history, we discovered that they can navigate across the Great Lakes,” he stated. “This revelation is a significant surprise to everyone.”
-
What on Earth
Eddie’s dead: What one monarch’s ill-fated journey can teach us about migration patterns
-
1st of 29 monarch butterflies tagged on Canadian Prairies reaches Mexico after perilous migration
Throughout its 10-week trek, the butterfly managed to evade hazards that commonly threaten monarchs—including vehicles and adverse weather—according to Shorthouse.
Considering the additional challenge of crossing two Great Lakes, the likelihood of this accomplishment becomes even more astonishing, he remarked.
“This is one of the most intriguing and intricate stories that remains a mystery to us. How does it fly such distances, and how do they navigate to their destination?”
The Manitoulin Nature Club, which has been active on the island for 47 years, takes pride in being the starting point for the butterfly’s lengthy journey.
Phyllis Cacciotti, the club’s president, emphasized that this achievement highlights the incredible power of nature, even in its smallest creatures.
“It’s incredibly inspiring. They are true warriors,” she remarked.
“We are fortunate here on Manitoulin Island as we possess exquisite biodiversity, and it is imperative that we safeguard and preserve it for generations to come.”
Monarch butterflies were measured and tagged on Manitoulin Island over the summer before journeying towards Mexico for the winter. (Manitoulin Nature Club)
Now, the Manitoulin butterfly joins thousands of others as they settle in for winter among the oyamel fir trees in the mountains of Mexico.
Shorthouse expressed hope that their cherished butterfly will mate come spring and migrate as far north as Texas, where she would lay her eggs and eventually die.
However, her legacy will persist.
The offspring of this butterfly will make their way northward, potentially reaching the northern U.S. states, before embarking on the same migratory cycle.
“It will be the grandchildren of MAN26021 that we will observe along the shores of Manitoulin Island in May of 2027.”