acrylic on canvas
100cm x 100cm
Iain White, 2009
In the autumn, monarchs in the north gather and begin to move south. In North America there are two large population groups that follow separate migration paths. Most monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains overwinter in the Sierra Madres in central Mexico where they live in fir forests at high altitudes. Far western populations of monarchs winter along the coast of southern California where they live in groves of pine, cypress, and eucalyptus trees. In the spring they head north and breed along the way.
Butterflies that emerge fin late summer and early autumn are different from those that do so during the longer days and warmer weather of summer. These monarchs are born to fly, and know because of the changing weather that they must prepare for their lengthy journey.
Only monarchs born in late summer or early autumn make the migration, and they make only one round trip.
