Lake Erie’s Point Pelee National Park will turn a brighter shade of orange this month, as monarch butterflies begin their long migration from Canada to Mexico.
Monarch butterflies swarm Point Pelee National Park before flying across Lake Erie on their way to Mexico. Photo: InspiredinDesMoines (Flickr)
The park is set on a peninsula jutting south into the lake and that funnels the monarchs on the shortest route across the water. Every year when the weather is right, the monarchs take flight and stop for a final rest on Point Pelee where visitors can see them decorate trees like tinsel at Christmas.
A study published in March found that the area occupied by monarchs in Mexico reached an all-time low in 2009 and 2010, and remained low last winter. It cited habitat loss in Mexico, loss of breeding habitat in the U.S. and loss of milkweed as contributing factors that threaten the species and its great migration.
So if you find yourself near Point Pelee this fall, get out to see what might be the end of a biological phenomenon. Get updates on monarch activity at the park by calling the butterfly hotline 519-322-2371 or following the park on Twitter @pointpeleenp.