Jason E. Andersen

Bonus fun fact: During late summer, monarch butterflies migrate out of the Midwest to their wintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico. High in the mountains (above 7,500 feet elevation) the overwintering butterflies cluster together to stay warm. These clusters can be so dense that the mass of butterflies weighs down tree branches, sometimes causing them to break. Populations of monarchs are measured by estimating how much of the tree canopy is covered with these colonies.

You may have seen in the news that this winter’s count of monarchs was an increase of 144% over last year, a record high count since 2007. The area of forest covered with monarchs this year was 14.95 acres and, while this news might sound optimistic, this still represents a historic decline of more than 80% in the Midwest and over 99% along the coast of the Pacific. Okay, so maybe this isn’t a fun fact as much as a sad fact. Still, this rebound in the monarch population might be a sign that their decline is beginning to slow. At least, I can hope so.