During the warmer months, it’s common to spot butterflies serenely gliding from flower to flower or gently flying past during your afternoon walk. But did you know that many of those graceful creatures, including the famed monarch butterfly, only live an average of two to six weeks once they reach adulthood?
This short lifespan begs the question: How do monarchs survive their multi-month migration each year? Remarkably, monarchs aren’t the only insects that undertake cross-continent migrations. Dragonflies, locusts and other insects also spend much of their lives traveling from one location to another.
Join us as we delve into some extraordinary insect migration journeys and explore some of the amazing insects that traverse the globe.
Explaining the Phenomenon of Insect Migration
If you’re not familiar with insect migration, the concept might not sound particularly remarkable. Butterflies and other insects travel from point A to point B — so why the hype?
These insects aren’t merely taking a leisurely flight from one backyard flower bed to the next. Instead, they’re traveling thousands of miles for reasons that vary by species, including:
- Escaping the incoming winter weather in favor of a warmer climate.
- Finding a hospitable environment to breed.
- Seeking more readily available food sources.
Exploring Different Insect Migrations
Numerous insects make the trek south each year before heading back north the following year. Below, we discuss some of the most well-known insect migrations and learn what makes each one so unique.
Monarch Butterfly Migration
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the monarch butterfly is the only butterfly that undertakes a two-way migration because it can’t survive the frigid winters in northern climates. Monarchs spend the warmer summer months in Eastern North America, where they breed until the temperatures begin to drop. Then they migrate south to the Sierra Madre in Mexico, where they hibernate from October to late March.
With the help of air currents, monarchs can travel between 50 and 100 miles per day. Even with their miraculously quick traveling speed, they still require approximately two months to complete their 2,500-mile journey in either direction.
This raises the question again: If adult monarch butterflies only live two to six weeks, how do they make the eight-week journey south to hibernate? The migrating generations live significantly longer due to a dormancy mechanism. Also known as diapause, it delays their ability to reproduce until the following spring, allowing them to live for six to nine months, completing the migration in the process.
Dragonfly Migration
Like the monarch butterfly, green darner dragonflies also migrate at different times of the year. While their trips are only 500 to 600 miles, completing the journey is no small accomplishment, and they can fly up to 87 miles in a single day. Another trait green darner dragonflies share with monarchs is a multigenerational migration pattern:
- First generation
The first generation of dragonflies hatch in the Southern U.S. and Mexico from February to May before migrating north. Once they make it to the Midwestern U.S., they lay eggs and die.
- Second generation
The next generation migrates south from July to October. Following the same pattern as their parents, they lay eggs and die before the final generation emerges.
- Third generation
Around November, the last generation in the migrational cycle hatches and lives in the south all winter long. Their offspring will migrate northward and begin the entire cycle again in the spring.
Locust Migration
All locusts are grasshoppers, but not all grasshoppers are locusts — wait, what? Let’s break this down a little further. There are thousands of species of grasshoppers, but only a select few of those can transform into locusts.
This transformation occurs when grasshoppers are forced to crowd together due to limited vegetation. Under these conditions, solitary grasshoppers start seeking out other insects to form groups. The close proximity triggers a surge in serotonin, making them actively seek the company of others. At the same time, they undergo physical changes, developing larger, more muscular bodies suited for the long migrations they undertake in search of food.
Unlike monarch butterflies and green darner dragonflies, locusts are destructive pests. A small swarm can consume as much food in one day as 35,000 people. Many swarms find their way to Africa, destroying large supplies of crops intended for human consumption.
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Sources:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-great-monarch-migration
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/index.shtml
https://www.fws.gov/story/phenomenal-monarch-migration
https://www.backyardecology.net/green-darner-dragonfly-a-migratory-dragonfly/
https://www.livescience.com/locusts.html
