Arizona is a highway between western and eastern monarch butterfly populations. They migrate through our state in the spring and the fall. During the summer, they stay in higher elevations, and some overwinter in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Eastern monarch populations migrate as far north as Canada and as far south as the mountains south of Mexico City. Sometimes it takes 4-5 generations to make the entire trip.
Monarchs are an important symbol during Day of the Dead celebrations. The Mexican festival known as Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, coincides with the arrival of the monarch butterflies. According to customary belief, these butterflies represent the spirits of departed ancestors returning to Earth for their yearly sojourn.
The monarch is the most recognized butterfly in North America, but there is one butterfly that's often mistaken for a monarch, the queen butterfly. Similar in color and size, and belonging to the subfamily Danainae, both butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed. Here are a few ways to differentiate between the two:
- With closed wings, fore- and hindwings only have white dots within black borders.
- Very bold black lines found in both fore- and hindwings creating a “stained glass” look.
- Forewings are mostly a deep amber while hindwings are lighter orange while
- Closed wings show white dots both within the black borders and on forewings.
- Forewings lack the bold black lines found on monarchs
- Uniformly orange fore- and hindwings with a brownish tint to their coloring.
As many know, monarchs eat milkweed specifically, so planting milkweed in your yard is one way to support monarch populations in Arizona. There are a number of types of (very beautiful - in our opinion) milkweed native to Arizona, and these are the ideal plants to use in our butterfly gardens. It’s important also to ensure that the milkweed we plant has not been treated with pesticides that would harm the monarchs who feed on these plants.
The swallowtail is another popular butterfly in Arizona, with the Two-Tailed Swallowtail being the state butterfly. The painted lady butterfly, another long-distance migrator often in Arizona, according to Wild About Arizona, a great podcast about wildlife produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
When should one go out looking for monarchs and other butterflies in Arizona? Well, now is a great time to view monarchs. It’s migration time! Find them at higher elevations near Springerville. Search in established wildlife areas is a good bet. Winema Wildlife area, which is also a paradise for bird enthusiasts, is another auspicious spot for butterfly enthusiasts. Riparian corridors are always a draw for butterflies, so in the Phoenix area, one can find a lot of butterflies on the greenbelts and at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. Along the Colorado and Little Colorado River, there are many different species of butterflies to be found. Down south at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, you can also see many of your favorite butterflies.
Why are monarchs so important? In addition to their beauty and cultural significance, monarchs are a pollinator species on the decline. Monarch butterflies are a gateway species of pollinators that encourage many people to get involved in insect conservation. If you would like to learn more about monarchs and get involved in their preservation, visit the Arizona Monarch Collaborative online. There are tons of community science opportunities, some of which require nothing more than taking a photo or short video of butterflies when you see them.
