A monarch butterfly originating from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, has garnered local fame after successfully completing a remarkable migration across North America that concluded in Mexico this month.
The stunning insect journeyed over 3,300 kilometers in 70 days, accomplishing what scientists had previously deemed unfeasible: crossing two of the Great Lakes.
This young female butterfly, designated MAN26021, was one of many tagged by researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada along with the Canadian Wildlife Federation on Manitoulin Island in late August.
The tagging was part of a research project aimed at studying the migratory habits and flight behaviors of these butterflies.
Tags affixed to their thorax sent 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 a veteran butterfly researcher, mentioned that he and his team tracked MAN26021 using the Project Monarch app.
This remarkable butterfly, weighing about as much as a paper clip, flew across Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, then navigated through the United States to arrive at the Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca overwintering location, situated roughly 100 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.
Shorthouse described this as an extraordinary success story in the realm of nature.
“For the first time ever, we learned that they can cross the Great Lakes,” he stated. “This revelation has surprised everyone.”
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Throughout its 10-week trek, the butterfly managed to evade the threats that typically claim the lives of many monarchs, including collisions with vehicles and adverse weather conditions, as noted by Shorthouse.
Considering the added challenge of crossing two Great Lakes, the improbability of this accomplishment is even more astonishing, he remarked.
“This is one of the most enigmatic and intricate phenomena in nature that we still do not fully grasp. How can it cover such distances, and how do they find their way?”
The Manitoulin Nature Club, which has been active on the island for 47 years, expressed pride in being the point of origin for the butterfly’s extensive journey.
Phyllis Cacciotti, president of the club, emphasized that this achievement highlights the incredible power of nature, even in its smallest forms.
“It’s very motivating. They’re true warriors,” she remarked.
“We’re fortunate here on Manitoulin Island, as we boast rich biodiversity, and it is essential that we safeguard and conserve it for the 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)
The Manitoulin butterfly is now among thousands settling for the winter in the oyamel fir trees in the Mexican mountains.
Shorthouse expressed hope that this treasured butterfly will mate in the spring and journey as far north as Texas, where she will lay her eggs and subsequently perish.
However, her legacy will endure.
The butterfly’s descendants will migrate northward, potentially reaching the northern U.S. states, before continuing the same cycle.
“It will be the grandchildren of MAN26021 that we’ll observe along the shores of Manitoulin Island in May of 2027.”