Every fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, travel nearly 3,000 miles across the U.S. to the sacred fir forests of Central Mexico to wait for winter to soften into spring. Throughout periods of sunshine, millions of butterflies will take flight from the roosts and sail to nearby stream banks to drink, then soar again into the air and eventually return that afternoon to their original roost on the surrounding trees.

Read more about the monarch migration ecotour: A Kaleidoscope of Monarchs

An ecotourist photographs several monarchs that have landed on a visitor’s hat. Some people believe that when a monarch lands on you in the sanctuary, you are being visited by the spirit of a lost loved one. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Depictions of monarchs can be seen throughout the area, such as this mural in a basketball court. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Monarchs need to build their body fat stores to embark on the journey north. As temperatures rise, monarchs begin to stir and search for nectar. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

In our partnership with Holbrook Travel to send our scientists along with travel groups to biodiversity hot spots, the ecotours to Mexico and the monarchs’ overwintering home are incredibly popular. In the spring of 2019, our Museum photographer accompanied a group that included Florida Museum Director Doug Jones and McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity Director Jaret Daniels.