Wind may have helped monarch butterflies travel 800 miles in just 3 days
A cold front swept three monarch butterflies more than 800 miles across the Gulf of America in just three days, in a remarkable first for scientists tracking their migration.
Researchers have long suspected monarchs can cross the Gulf's waters rather than follow the coastline around it.
Now, three tiny tracking tags have recorded what appears to be the first trans-Gulf crossing documented by Project Monarch.
And the weather may have been what made it possible.
Tiny tag reveals a massive journey
Each monarch was tagged with a miniature electronic signal that can be detected by phones and tracking stations. Think of it as a tiny digital breadcrumb, allowing scientists to piece together the butterfly's movements without having to physically follow it.
(MORE: Follow along with the monarch butterfly fall migration )
One butterfly, Rich, was initially tagged in Massachusetts. One, named Thomas, was tagged in Virginia, while another butterfly known as ON_u12 began its journey in Ontario.
Kicking off in September when Rich was first tagged, the three butterflies started making their way south.
By the morning of Oct. 17, all three were detected in Louisiana, just minutes apart from each other.
Map showing migration paths of three tracked birds named ON_u12, Rich, and Thomas across the eastern United States, with distance traveled stats
Then came a cold front bringing strong winds.
Blowing across the Gulf at roughly 25 to 37 mph, those winds may have helped carry the monarchs over hundreds of miles of open water. Their exact flight altitudes weren't measured, so scientists can't say precisely how much the winds helped.
For three days after the cold front, the butterflies went undetected.
Then, on Oct. 20, all three popped up in Mexico, more than 800 miles away from their last known locations.
Map visualization showing tracked paths of three tagged birds (ON_u12, Rich, Thomas) migrating over the Gulf of Mexico toward Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico, with wind speed overlay and distance traveled data
Since then, two more monarchs were discovered to have made similar journeys with the help of northeast winds. Butterflies CMP26-051 and RCFS19 were detected in Florida on Oct. 21, then again across the Gulf just three days later.
(MORE: Bird uses hurricane winds to migrate in record time )
The journey isn't over yet
There's another twist: These monarchs all turned up hundreds of miles away from their usual route near the mountain forests of Michoacán, Mexico, where millions of monarchs typically spend the winter.
Scientists will now watch closely to see if these tiny travelers can find their way to the familiar spot.
If they do, it will help to answer new questions about how monarchs navigate after crossing vast stretches of open water.
You can follow the butterflies' next moves (and see if Mother Nature still has a part to play) in the free Project Monarch app .
