Rancho Verde Plays Host to Migrating Monarchs

Dozens of Illinois' state insect, the Monarch butterfly, made their temporary home here at Rancho Verde over the past week. While it's hard to tell if the butterflies started their journey here or further up north, I do know (Wikipedia told me) that they'll be continuing their road trip all the way down to Mexico to special butterfly sanctuaries - Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve.

Our butterfly garden impressed everyone who spent time out by the flowering plants, but the real deal is down south. The butterflies gather by the millions, completely covering clusters of large trees, waiting till spring to make the trek back up north.

One fact about their migration that I find particularly interesting is the group's round trip journey far exceeds an individual butterfly's typical life span. The butterflies lay eggs during a section of the migration and then die off some time after. The following year the spawn pick up where their parents left off and continue their migration. No one knows exactly how the new generations of butterfly know how to complete the journey, but they find their way back the same spot year after year.