Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jordan Bryan [Click to enlarge]

Though springtime in Aggieland brings crowds of visiting prospective students to campus, Texas A&M researchers say to expect other visitors.

Center for Mathematics and Science Education Researcher Craig Wilson said migrating monarch butterflies will pass through College Station in April and May.

Each year, tens of millions of monarchs make the trek to Canada, passing through the U.S. and leaving behind an array of awed on-lookers.

"Monarchs capture the imagination because of their huge migration of over 2,000 miles," Wilson said. "It's quite phenomenal."

The species that makes its way through Texas spends the winter in the Sierra Madre region around Mexico City until beginning the journey North. Monarchs follow the flowering season of milkweed, which larvae exclusively feed on. They eventually go as far North as Canada.

"The fascinating thing about monarchs is the butterflies who finally reach Canada are the great-great descendents of the ones who began the journey," Wilson said.

The life cycle of a monarch is six weeks from larvae to full-grown butterfly, the last few weeks are spent flying. Each successive generation moves farther North in pursuit of the blooming flowers until winter approaches and the last migrant generation returns South to wait out the winter.

Some of the butterflies tagged and tracked for research have been known to travel 200 miles in one night, although numbers this great are unusual.

Wilson has set up a monarch waystation outside of the Blocker building. The waystation is certified by the conservation group Monarch Watch as a place for monarchs to rest, reproduce and reenergize on their migration route.

"We are losing 2.2 million acres of wildlife habitat every year, and you can't lose habitat without losing wildlife. We have to draw the public's attention to this loss and get the public involved in trying to stop it," said Monarch Watch Director Chip Taylor.

The garden includes milkweed plants essential for laying eggs and nourishing caterpillars, flowers such as Mexican Petunias as a nectar and energy source, and wet soil for the butterflies to soak up nutrients and minerals.

The migrating season of hummingbirds coincides with that of the monarchs, bringing another display of nature's beauty to College Station.

"What we see is the peak of migration beginning the first half of April and then tapering off very fast in early May," said veterinary medicine professor Ian Tizard.

Following the blooming seasons of flowers, hummingbirds travel North in three routes passing through Texas.

Two groups, known as the shore birds, travel along the Texas coast until they split, one to continue their coastline voyage and the other to make their way up the Mississippi valley. The other group, known as the prairie birds, travel straight through the center of the country.

College Station sees a combination of all three types of migrating birds. The most common type of hummingbird seen in the area is the Ruby Throated Hummingbird, which occupies the eastern half of the U.S.

Some fluctuations may be expected this year in the migrating patterns because of the unusual cold weather.

"Hummingbirds, because of their way of energy consumption, are very sensitive to environment and temperatures," Tizard said.

Much of the flight depends on weather patterns. Northern winds keep the birds in Mexico until the wind changes.

Another factor is the changing trend of warmer winters allowing hummingbirds to leave later or maybe even never make the trip.

Watch the sky

The North American Butterfly Association is a nonprofit organization working to increase conservation of butterflies. Watch the flights at www.NABA.org

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