Results: The Monarchs Are Coming

Each year monarch butterflies-- arguably the most recognizable of all North American butterfly species due to distinct orange, black and white markings -- make their way to Mexico, travelling up to 160 kilometres per day. Monarchs typically lay their eggs on milkweed plants in March and April, and we can expect to see butterflies sometime in June. Have you noticed any monarch butterflies yet this year?

How many of these facts did you know about Monarch butterflies?

Butterflies, especially monarchs are seen in many spiritual circles as deep and powerful representations of life. Which of the following symbolic meanings of monarchs or butterflies have you heard?

Yet these butterflies, once a familiar sight, are heading toward extinction due to landscape-scale threats from pesticides, development and global climate change. If you want to catch a glimpse of the endangered butterflies, here are seven locations that boast large numbers of migratory monarchs. Although most on this list are in Mexico or California, the one notable exception is Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, at the southern most point of Canada. Because the migration happens over such a considerable distance, butterflies look for shortcuts whenever they can, which is what makes Point Pelee such a desirable spot—located on a peninsula that juts into Lake Erie, the site gives thousands of monarchs a head-start on their southward journey. Have you ever been to any of these spots?