Sept. 30, 2011 I The Clarion
Arts & Life
Page 9
Monarch butterflies migrate soutli
By Olivia Fawcett
staff Writer
Fall is here and that means apples, changing
leaves, cooler weather, football and one of the
most fantastic events of nature, the Monarch
Butterfly migration. Every year, thousands
of monarch butterflies make the 2,500 mile
migration from Canada down to Mexico. No
problem for an insect that weighs less than
an ounce. The arduous journey across North
America requires the lives of four generations
of butterflies.
Why do the monarch butterflies make such
Dax and Kevin- Go to the doctor
by Karam Boeshaar
heLLo
Fram
a physically demanding journey? They are in
fact the only insects in the world that migrate
such an intense distance. The monarchs
migrate for two reasons; the first being that
they cannot withstand the freezing weather in
the northern and central part of the continent.
The second is due to the fact that the plant that
the larvae (aka caterpillars) eat does not grow
in the southern regions. Therefore, they must
make the trip back up north to places where
the plants are plentiful.
The migration is already underway; the
butterflies began their joumey back in August.
However, now is the time to see the butterflies
throughout the month as they make their
way through the Great Smokey Mountains
towards the Gulf of Mexico. The best place
to view them is Wagon Road Gap at milepost
412.2 south of Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
199S WWW.MONARCHWATCH.OllG
THE Clarion
Senior Staff
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Other Staff
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Karam Boeshaar Josh Smith
Sarah Bowers Olivia Fawcett
Melissa Sullebarger SkipAllsopp
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