Annual migration of monarch butterflies is one of the world’s most spectacular natural occurrences. The most captivating factor about the migration is that no single butterfly can manage the whole trip. Females lay eggs during the trip and in such way bring forth the generations to follow. It is in this regard that the historical migration has remained through the same route despite there being other alternative overwinter destinations that are even safer and easier to reach.
Causes for the Migration
Monarch butterflies cannot survive in the cold weather experienced in United States and Canada. This happens around the months of September and October when winter begins. The destination is always in Mexico where they hibernate in the Rocky Mountains and around the Pacific Grove (Journey with nature, 2018).
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Threats to the Migration Routes
In modern times cases of deforestation are high. Human are cutting trees to create room for development and use the tree as materials. These trees however are used by the monarch butterflies every time they are migrating. It is important to note that despite being a different generation, the monarchs always use the same trees as used in the previous year (Monarch butterfly migration, n.d).
Adaptation Approach to Migration Routes
A full migration cycle takes a whole year and four generations are involved. But how do the new generations identify the routes to use? Research indicates that they possess adaptation features that enable them to locate the exact trees used by generations that passed through the route in the previous year. It is for this reason that the historical migration will remain a barrier to identification of new routes or locations.
Conclusion
Nature has its own ways and designs. Monarch butterflies are among those with most interesting features that include the migratory behavior that takes a whole year and four generations. This has a rich history where the butterflies have continually used the same route despite being of different generations.
References
Journey with nature, (2018). Monarch butterfly. The nature conservancy . Available at: https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/monarch-butterfly-migration.xml?redirect=https-301
Monarch butterfly migration, (n.d). Learn about nature. Available at https://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-migration.html
