Every fall, monarch butterflies leave the cold north and travel all the way to Mexico — a journey of up to 3,000 miles on wings that weigh less than a paperclip. They arrive right about now.
When winter comes, some animals migrate — that means they travel somewhere warmer. Monarch butterflies fly all the way from here to Mexico!
Monarchs fly south to stay warm all winter!
Let’s talk
What colors do you see on the monarch’s wings?
What do YOU do when it gets cold outside? How is that like migrating?
What other animals do you think travel when winter comes?
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Lots of birds migrate — geese, ducks, and hummingbirds! Some whales and even some bats migrate too. In Spanish, butterfly is mariposa (mah-ree-POH-sah).
Try it
Migrate like a monarch! Stand up and flap your wings slowly — monarchs glide to save energy. Now “land” on a flower and rest. Say it with me: “¡Mariposa!”
Here’s the part scientists still find astonishing: no single monarch makes the round trip. The butterfly that flies to Mexico has never been there — and it’s the great-great-grandchild of the one that left.
Four generations, one journey.
Let’s talk
If a monarch has never been to Mexico, how could it possibly know the way?
Generation 4 lives about eight months while the others live only weeks. Why might that be necessary?
Monarchs arrive in Mexico right around Día de los Muertos. Why might people have connected those two things?
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Scientists believe monarchs navigate using the sun’s position plus an internal clock, and possibly Earth’s magnetic field — the route is inherited, not learned. Generation 4 lives far longer because it must survive the whole journey and the winter. And because the monarchs return to Mexico each year right at the start of November, some Indigenous traditions viewed them as the returning spirits of loved ones — the same idea at the heart of Día de los Muertos.
Try it
Navigation challenge! Close your eyes and point south — no peeking. Open them: how many of you agree? Now think: a monarch does this across a continent, with no map, on its first try. What does that tell you about instinct?
Additional Notes/Activities
If additional activities are needed for the Morning Meeting, they will be added here.