Radar Detects Storm of Monarchs

I caught this report the other day by The Atlantic CityLab:

“Late last week, meteorologists in St. Louis noticed a cloud acting peculiarly: It was beating a path toward Mexico while changing into a variety of odd shapes. Was it a radar glitch? The debris signature of a south-moving tornado?

The answer was more heartening—and bizarre. After analyzing the reflections, the National Weather Service concluded they showed an immense swarm of Monarch butterflies migrating to their winter home in the Mexican mountains…

North America’s Monarch population has been in decline, reaching record-low numbers in the past couple of years due to habitat loss and perhaps extreme weather. These radar shots provide a spot of good news in that, while struggling, the Monarchs aren’t extinct quite yet…

Also beautiful—and strange—is that the shape of the swarm itself resembles a giant butterfly.”

It is amazing to think that this cloud of Monarch butterflies will reach its final destination in Mexico and that hundreds of similar clouds will join them there. Imagine seeing all of those butterflies in the same place.

After 25 years, I am still in awe every time I see this phenomenon. We have a few spots left on our trip to see this spectacle. Click here if you want to join us us Mexico.