When can you see the monarch butterfly migration in Ohio? The journey has begun

Emily DeLetter, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
Eastern monarch butterflies have begun migrating across Ohio to wintering sites in Mexico, though the future of the species is at risk.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies migrating overhead?

The dazzlingly colored monarch butterflies are in the midst of the species' annual migration, heading from the U.S. and Canada, where they breed during the summer, down to Central Mexico, where they will hibernate for the winter. The up to 2,500-mile migration is unlike any journey other species of butterflies make, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

So, when can you expect to see monarch butterflies travel en masse over Ohio? The annual migration usually runs between late August and October, depending on weather conditions.

The butterflies can travel 50 to 100 miles a day, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and they may travel individually or in groups. In Ohio, look for the butterflies in forests, fields, gardens and waterways.

Their epic journey has already been spotted in Northern Ohio. A large group of monarch butterflies landed Tuesday in the trees behind the WKYC studios in Cleveland.

Unfortunately, thanks to climate change and other human-caused changes to the environment, that migration is under threat. Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs in milkweed, a plant that has been harder to find thanks to deforestation, the use of pesticides and the loss of its prairie and grassland habitat.

Monarch butterflies listed as endangered'Just a devastating decline'

How to help monarch butterflies

If you want to help keep the magic of the monarch butterfly migration alive, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources recommends planting milkweed, as it is beneficial at every stage of the butterfly's life cycle.

Milkweed pods can be gathered and planted from the landscape in early fall, and the Monarch Joint Venture provides guidelines for those efforts.

You can also plant pollinator gardens to help wildlife.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Are monarch butterflies migrating over Ohio? Here's what to know.