Western Monarchs Need Our Help Part 1: Monarch Migration and Population Decline

Central Coast monarch butterfly sightings If you live on the Central Coast or visit during the fall or winter, you’ve likely seen monarch butterflies making their way along the annual migration path. Driving down the freeway, you might catch the bright orange and black flash of monarch wings as they flit as fast as they can across the road, fighting the wind whipped up by traffic. These insect athletes are built for distance rather than speed. The Western monarch’s annual migration of up to 3,000 miles is the longest on record, but their estimated average flight speed of of 5.5 …