As they alight on seaside goldenrod flowers or roost in Eastern red cedars, monarch butterflies are unmistakable, with their brilliant orange and black-patterned wings.

Although their flight may seem meandering and subject to the vagaries of wind, monarchs are on an instinct-driven mission right now. These “ultra-marathoners” migrate over 2,000 miles to the forests of central Mexico. They hold the distance record among migrating insects, and their journey is one of the true wonders of the world!