Meteorological fall is upon us here in the Fox River Valley, and so is migration season. Many warblers and other birds have already started on their way to warmer southern climes and are currently in our area. So, too is the migration of one of the more beautiful and interesting insects in our area: the Monarch butterfly!
A Modest Recovery
Over the last few years, Monarch butterfly populations have taken a drastic hit. The once ubiquitous orange and black Monarch became a rare sight in our local prairies and meadows. Last year, in all the time I spend outdoors in the field, I saw only four Monarch butterflies. 2023 wasn’t much better. There were and still are serious concerns among naturalists regarding the long-term viability of the species. The exact cause of the steep decline in Monarch populations is up for debate, but habitat loss, overuse of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and severe weather in their overwintering breeding grounds have likely all contributed to it. This year, though, at least locally, the population of Monarchs seems to have rebounded. On one trip to Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville in mid-summer, I counted over thirty individual Monarch butterflies. That’s more than I saw in the previous two years combined!
Reasons for Hope
Many other regional observers are also noting a significant uptick in the numbers of Monarch butterflies this year compared to the last several years. Again, exactly what may be causing this increase in numbers isn’t specifically known, but awareness of the Monarch’s plight among people has probably played a role in their comeback. Anecdotally, it seems that more people are planting butterfly gardens containing milkweeds or are letting a portion of their property “go natural” without close grooming or the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These spaces provide Monarchs with more habitat options. Also, more organizations seem to be spreading the word about stewardship of Monarch habitat on a more macro scale too. It also seems that more individuals are taking an active role in helping to breed Monarch butterflies in captivity in their homes and then releasing them to the wild. Whether any or all these factors contributed to the comeback of the Monarchs this year is unknown. We can speculate that action on the part of concerned citizens who are aware of the Monarchs plight at least helped the situation.
The Migrators
The generation of Monarch butterflies that migrate south to Mexico for the winter are a special breed. The thirty some Monarchs I saw during the middle of the summer this year are from a generation that lives only a few weeks before the next generation of butterflies emerges. Several of these short-lived generations grace us with their beauty throughout the warm months of the late spring and summer. In the fall though, a special generation of Monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalis in late August through early September. They are more robust than their predecessors, are slightly larger, and can live up to nine months! They are built to withstand the rigors of the long migration south. Most of the Monarchs that you are likely to see in our area now are part of this “super” generation of butterflies. They make their way to their wintering grounds, usually in Mexico for the butterflies in our area, where they breed and create the next generation of super Monarchs who will make the return trip north next spring.
Before leaving on their trip south, the super generation of Monarchs feed heavily on the nectar of late blooming wildflowers like thistles and goldenrods. It’s important for these migrators to have access to plenty of this nourishment both prior to and during their long journey. They need the energy derived from the nectar to be able to fly the distances that they do. I’ve read some reports that Monarchs migrating south can travel up to 100 miles per day. It’s incredible to think that such a seemingly fragile, ethereal insect like the Monarch butterfly is capable of such a feat!
on September 11, 2025.
The Future of the Monarch
I have been guilty in the past of taking the Monarch butterfly for granted. In past years when Monarchs were plentiful, I often passed up taking photographs of them thinking they were so numerous that documenting them with my camera wasn’t necessary; they would always be around. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. We don’t have to look too far back into history to find cases of animals that were so numerous, no one thought they could be extirpated. The Passenger Pigeon, whose population went from the billions to extinct in about forty years, and the American Bison, whose populations were decimated but luckily still hang on, come to mind.
Hopefully, the Monarch butterfly will not go the way of the Passenger Pigeon. The pressures on the Monarch are different than the situation of the Passenger Pigeon in that the Monarch holds little or no commercial value, where the Passenger Pigeon was overhunted due to their value as a food source for humans. Habitat loss also contributed to the demise of the Passenger Pigeon and has probably contributed to the serious decline in populations of Monarch butterflies.
We can help maintain and increase habitat for Monarchs though. We can plant native milkweeds necessary for the survival of their caterpillars. We can limit the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides in property under our control, and we can support organizations that maintain and expand wildlife-friendly spaces locally, regionally, and nationally. Doing so will not only benefit the Monarchs, but all wildlife and humanity.
Until next time, get outside and enjoy the natural beauty of our Fox River Valley and Keep On Fixin’ the Fox!
the thistle blossom. This photo was also taken on
September 11, 2025.