A monarch butterfly hailing from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, has gained local fame after accomplishing an extraordinary migration across North America, culminating in Mexico this month.
Covering more than 3,300 kilometers over a span of 70 days, this stunning butterfly achieved what scientists had once deemed unfeasible: traversing over two Great Lakes.
The young female, identified as MAN26021, was one of many tagged by researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada alongside the Canadian Wildlife Federation on Manitoulin Island in late August.
This tagging initiative was part of a study aimed at understanding the migratory habits and flight behaviors of these insects.
Tags affixed to their thorax relayed 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)
According to Joe Shorthouse, a retired entomologist from Laurentian University and a veteran butterfly researcher, he and his team tracked MAN26021 using the Project Monarch app.
This young monarch, which weighs about as much as a paper clip, successfully navigated across Lake Huron and Lake Michigan before making its way through the United States to the Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.
Shorthouse hailed this as a remarkable success story in nature.
“For the first time in history, we have learned that they can fly across the Great Lakes,” he remarked. “This revelation is a significant surprise to everyone.”
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Throughout its 10-week adventure, the butterfly successfully navigated threats that typically claim the lives of many monarchs, such as vehicles and adverse weather conditions, Shorthouse pointed out.
Add in the fact that it flew over two Great Lakes, and the improbability of this accomplishment becomes even more astonishing, he added.
“This represents one of the most intricate and enigmatic stories in the world, which we still do not fully comprehend. How is it able to travel such distances, and how does it know its destination?”
The Manitoulin Nature Club, which has been active on the island for 47 years, expressed pride in being the starting point for this butterfly’s extensive journey.
Phyllis Cacciotti, the club’s president, noted that this achievement serves as a testament to nature’s remarkable power, even in its smallest manifestations.
“It’s incredibly inspiring. They are true warriors,” she stated.
“We are very fortunate here on Manitoulin Island, as we host beautiful biodiversity that we must protect and conserve for future generations.”
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 has now joined thousands of others settling in for the winter in the oyamel fir trees of Mexico’s mountainous regions.
Shorthouse expressed hope that this treasured butterfly will mate come spring and make its way north to Texas, where she will lay her eggs before passing away.
Yet, her legacy will persist.
The butterfly’s descendants will journey northward, potentially reaching the upper United States, before continuing the cycle anew.
“It will be the grandchildren of MAN26021 that we will observe on the shores of Manitoulin Island in May of 2027.”