We know that the monarch traveled at least 85 miles (140 km) within 3 days. We can see that the butterfly traveled mostly to the west, and also to the south. We can see that the monarch was tagged on the north shore of Lake Ontario and found on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Did you notice?
This tagged butterfly shows us something about the pathways monarchs take when they migrate. The north shores of the Great Lakes are important migration pathways for monarchs that are leaving Canada in the fall. It's dangerous for monarchs to cross large bodies of water unless the wind is just right. The Great Lakes are 50-75 miles wide in many places. Therefore, large numbers of monarchs commonly travel along the shoreline instead. This makes the north shores of the Great Lakes great places to watch monarch migration in the fall!