Against all odds, three orange and black wing-tipped butterflies have touched down in Mexico. Flying away on the winds near the end of summer, three Ontario Monarch butterflies have finished their 3,000-plus kilometres journey successfully. Thanks to the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF)’s social media posting, we categorically have proof that three of Ontario’s Monarchs survived the flight. Thanks to the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), we categorically have proof that three of Ontario’s Monarchs survived the flight. Minute solar-powered tags, affixed to the butterflies allowed researchers to follow individual Monarchs on their routes during migration. “The tags are physically the size of a cooked grain of rice,” said Heather Robison, media spokesperson for CWF. The tags run on tiny solar cells without a battery, and the antennae are about three centimetres, or the length of a pinky finger long, she said. Robison said once the Monarchs are given a thorough health check, they glue the tiny equipment on with eyelash glue. The antennae emit a Bluetooth signal which pings off cell phones, tablets or fixed receivers – such as the Project Monarch app. “Every detection adds to our understanding of Monarch migration and helps reveal how these incredible travellers make their way south,” CWF said in a social media post Thursday. The federation conducts the tracking in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change and the Norris Lab at the University of Guelph, using the tiny tags from Cellular Tracking Technologies.
