It's quite a sight if you're lucky enough see it
STONINGTON -- Two thousand miles. That's how far monarch butterflies migrate every year at this time from the Stonington Peninsula in Delta County. Their journey takes them all the way to Mexico.
It's quite a sight if you're lucky enough see it--hundreds of monarch butterflies gathered near the lighthouse on the Stonington Peninsula, before making their 2,000 mile journey to Mexico.
The yearly spectacle draws visitors from all over.
"We heard about the monarch butterfly migration, and we came up to witness it," explained Traverse City resident, Dan Sorg. "It's a beautiful, beautiful experience and one I think we'd come back and see again."
Gina Badgett, who's a volunteer with the Forest Service, has been tagging the butterflies for the past 12 years. She says the migration to Mexico takes about two months. But who would have thought the little wings could flap all the way to Mexico? Well, those tags are what led to that discovery.
"We've actually proven that the monarchs that migrate from this area have been recovered in Mexico," said Badgett. "So we've kind of proven that they do fly from this area and do make it all the way to Mexico."
Unfortunately these particular butterflies won't make it back to the U.P. But don't worry...their descendants will.
"They actually spend the winter in Mexico. The butterflies will mate, the female will lay her eggs, and then those butterflies die. Then that generation starts heading north," Badgett explained. "So we go through second and third generation from one fall to the next. The kids and grandkids end up coming back."
And the Stonington Peninsula and the butterfly lovers here will be waiting for them.
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