The lifecycle and migration cycle of
monarch butterflies is intertwined.
Remarkably, a single monarch covers
the entire distance from Ontario and
other parts of Canada to Mexico.
“It’s an incredible story,” said Rachel
Stewart, program manager for Monarch
Nation. “That something weighing less than
a penny is able to journey 4,000 kilometres
unaided is something of a natural miracle.”
“Typically, the southern migration in the
fall is undertaken by one insect – a ‘super-
generation’ butterfly born between late
August and October that will live for longer
than the summer monarchs,” Stewart
said, pointing out that other generations
of monarchs live only a few weeks.
The snowbird monarchs spend the
winter months in Mexico or, in the case
of monarchs who summer on the west
coast of Canada, home is California.
Near the end of their hibernation, the
super-generation monarchs will mate and
then head north, making it about as far
as Texas before laying eggs and dying.
“This new generation will move through
all four stages of metamorphosis – egg, larvae,
chrysalis and adult,” Stewart said. “At that
point, they will continue the migration toward
Canada, flying as far north as they can before
laying eggs and dying, leaving it to the next
generation to continue the journey.”
It’s usually the great-great-grandchildren
of the ‘super-generation’ monarchs who
will arrive back in Canada in the late spring
to continue the life-cycle there.As with many other animals
and insects, the biggest threat
to monarch butterflies is
development that is changing
the North American ecosystem.
“Monarchs and other
pollinators are in decline so
it’s a serious issue around
the world,” said Monarch
Ultra founder Carlotta James,
who runs the Peterborough
Pollinators group which
encourages the public to add
native flowers and plants
attractive to bees, butterflies,
birds and other pollinators.
“There’s always something
citizens can do.”
If you want to help the
monarchs and other creatures,
the best thing to do is plant
flowers such as echinacea,
black-eyed susans, and
goldenrod. Planting various
types of milkweed is also
extremely helpful because it’s
the plant monarchs lay their
eggs in, and it’s the only thing
monarch caterpillars, who will
become butterflies, will eat.
“Milkweed is absolutely
critical to their survival,” James
said. “Without that, they
would disappear completely.”Rachel Stewart, who is managing a three-year project
to raise awareness and education around at-risk butterf ly
species, said part of the willingness to support the project
is the desire to help others understand the important role
the creatures serve in Canada’s ecosystem.
“Whether it’s their role in the food chain or the ecolog-
ical service they provide such as pollination, the loss of
any species creates an imbalance in the community they
inhabit,” says Stewart, program manager for Monarch
Nation, funded by Environment and Climate Change
Canada. “A resilient ecosystem relies on its biodiversity
in order to withstand natural and human-generated
events. Every creature is important .”
She said the run is a good way to put into perspective
the remarkable story of the monarch migration.
“The fact that this mighty insect is able to migrate freely
across the borders of three nations has much to teach us
about equity and the ever-increasing need for tolerance
and collaboration,” she says. “It also has far-reaching
significance to many cultures, often representing a link
between those who have passed on and those who are
living, personal growth and change, and simply hope for
the future. Efforts to conserve monarchs in Canada are
limited unless we combine our efforts with our partners in
the United States and Mexico.”
When you think about it, said James, there’s a natural
connection between running and conservationism, and
yet little being done to connect the dots.
“I’ve been running my whole life and doing races and
at the end of the day, you get a medal and go home,” she
says. “We’re trying to change the narrative of what
running can mean. We’re asking people to get involved
in conservation action to say that through running you
can have a positive impact on the earth.”
Two years since that lightbulb moment on a run in her
hometown, James knows the pendulum has now swung
from the Monarch Ultra being a dream to being a reality.
“I have to pinch myself sometimes. I’m going to
remember this for the rest of my life,” she says. “By
running in their footsteps, we can become the voice of
the monarchs and other pollinators.”An award-winning former newspaper reporter, Dan Dakin is
now a freelance journalist based in Ontario’s Niagara region.T HE
MONARCH
ULTRA
DISTANCE
4,300K
START
Sept. 19, Peterborough, Ont.
FINISH
Nov. 4, Cerro Pelon Mountain,
Macheros, Mexico
STAGES
100K each day (runners can
do half or full days)
MORE INFO
themonarchultra.comFor the
monarchs,
it’s a one-
way trip
How you can
help the
monarchs
runningmagazine.ca Canadian Running 51Ro
dn
ey
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