The first monarch butterfly undertaking the species' annual northern migration, has made it to Michigan. That's according to the Journey North Program, which said the first reported sighting in the state came on April 23 in St. Clair Shores.
The Journey North Program allows the public to participate in community science and report sightings of monarchs, hummingbirds, and other migratory species.
The monarch migration is a yearly phenomenon. The eastern population of North America’s monarchs overwinters in mountains in central Mexico each year from October to late March before returning north. Monarch butterflies are not considered an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act; however, they were proposed to be included on the list in 2024 and their declining population keeps them at risk for extinction.
Jacob Swanson, program coordinator for Journey North, said even though the first of the butterflies has arrived in Michigan this year, it will probably still be a while until large numbers of monarchs reach the state.
“Generally, the northern migration is like a multi-stage relay race,” he said. “Monarchs are going to migrate, they're going to lay eggs potentially in the southern part of the United States, and then the next monarch will continue that journey. That takes some time.”
He said Journey North received its first reports of monarchs leaving Mexico in February, but some may not have left until mid-March. Last year, the group received reports of monarchs as far north as southern Canada.
Swanson said the best thing people can do to support monarchs in their communities is planting milkweed, which is the only plant monarch caterpillars are able to eat.
“There's a lot of ways to get involved with monarch community science,” Swanson said. “Even just spreading the word, advocating for different practices that will help not only monarchs but other butterflies is really important.”