Monarchs now are clustering in their California and Mexico overwintering areas. They were on time despite
- unusually warm weather in the far north;
- unfavorable winds obstructing southwest migration;
- Hurricane Harvey destroying nectar plants along their route (but many resprouted);
- wildfires in their breeding range and migration corridors in CA and OR; and
- trees damaged or destroyed in one California grove and some of the Mexican forest sites.
How long have you been reading my monarch stories and thinking about doing something? See the end of this story for information on
- visiting Mexican colonies and
- how you can help count the monarchs in California.
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Many eastern subpopulation monarchs have arrived in Mexico, but others are still moving southwest, especially along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Villagers once again celebrated Día de los Muertos and welcomed the monarch butterflies they see as their ancestors’ souls returning to visit. (And now that local residents are barred from using the refuge forests, the monarchs represent the replacement income from tourism.)
Thousands of monarchs cluster in the colonies spread out along the California coast. Each year many of the same areas are used although population sizes vary. Colonies extend from Alameda County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. Many of the overwintering sites are eucalyptus groves, an introduced tree that has replaced Monterey pines at many sites (e.g., Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz).
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History celebrates the monarchs’ return with a Butterfly Ball fundraiser.
Now we wait to learn what population census data will tell us.
Or don’t wait — go see for yourself!
Mexican overwintering colonies are counted in December-January and reported in February. The number of monarchs in Mexico is extrapolated from the combined area of overwintering sites, assuming 50 million monarchs per hectare (2.471 acres). The overwintering data is the best estimate of how many monarchs live in the eastern US and southeastern Canada.
Visit Mexico
Monarch Joint Venture offers information on how to visit the UNESCO Monarch Butterfly Biosphere colonies. I previously wrote about the biggest colony, El Rosario Sanctuary, in Michoacán and provided information on visiting. J.M.’s Butterfly B&B near Cerro Pelón, the second most abundant colony, can help arrange your visit, too.
The California overwintering colonies are censused in November and again at New Years by volunteer teams led by Xerces Foundation. They directly count a subset of butterflies in each cluster to estimate total numbers in the separate colony sites along the coast.
visit and help count monarchs in california
The Western Monarch Count begins November 11th and runs through December 3rd. The second annual New Year's Count runs December 30th - January 14th.If you want to help count monarchs in California, visit Xerces Step By Step Monitoring Guide for details.
If this is your first time counting a site, you will need hands-on training with a regional coordinator or experienced volunteer before monitoring your own site. Check the Events page for information on upcoming trainings and events. You can also check our Facebook page. Regional coordinators often host group outings for experienced volunteers and new volunteers alike. They also keep track of which sites need monitoring, so they can efficiently use volunteers to help fill gaps. Some counties lack a regional coordinator—if that is the case, Xerces staff will help coordinate site coverage (wmtc@xerces.org).
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Are you ready for winter? I finished my preparations at the last minute Thursday morning and expect to wake up to cold wind and rain Friday morning.