Monarch butterflies raised indoors still know how to fly south if given enough time to orient themselves, according to new University of Guelph research.
The finding is good news for the many nature lovers and school students who raise monarchs and then set them free to help boost struggling numbers.
Monarchs are the only butterfly known to make a long-distance migration to warmer wintering grounds. While those born in the spring and early summer live only from two to six weeks, those that emerge in the late summer sense environmental signals that tell them to fly thousands of kilometres south, to central Mexico.
Read more at: University of Guelph
A monarch is fitted with a radio tracker. (Photo Credit: Alana Wilcox)