| Monarch
Migration Math How Much Farther Must the Butterflies Fly? |
Here’s a fun way to become familiar with the geography of monarch butterfly migration. In each week's migration update we will include a picture from the migration trail. You'll see where monarchs were traveling, what they were doing, and the kinds of habitat they was crossing. You'll also meet people who are tracking the monarch migration with you and your class.
Tip for fostering inquiry:
- Have students observe each image before you read the information that accompanies the photo. Ask students, "What do you notice?" or "What do you think is happening?" to help them get started. Take time for discussion and for posing new questions. Simple observations like these are rich opportunities for students to generate their own good questions.
You can also:
- Collect questions the pictures raise.
- Gather facts about monarchs and migration.
- Learn about monarch habitat and geography through visual observation.
- Find out how much farther the butterflies must fly to reach their winter home in Mexico.
To estimate distance to Mexico:
1.
Find the monarch's winter home.
Go to the monarch home page.
Click on the migration map. A red star marks the location of the monarch's
winter sanctuary region near Angangueo,
Michoacan, Mexico.
Students can "click" on the star to find the latitude and longitude
(19 N, -100 W).
2. Find
the location of the monarchs pictured.
The latitude and longitude of each migrating monarch will be
provided, in addition to the name of the town and state/province where
it was traveling.
3. Use
tools for measuring distance.
You can measure or estimate the distance using one of several different
tools:
- Journey North's migration map scalebar
- Google maps (Try the "Distance Measurement Tool" under "My Maps.)
- Online Distance Calculator
- An atlas or wall map
Norwich, Vermont?
(44 N, -72 W) >>
Mississauga,
Ontario?
(43
N, -79 W) >>
Hastings,
Nebraska ?
(40
N, -98 W) >>
Fire
Island, New York?
(40
N, -73 W) >>
| Do
you have a picture of a monarchs that are on their way to Mexico?
|
| Each week's new picture will be added to this column. |
