Why do monarchs migrate?

 

Nobody knows! These butterflies originated in the tropics, and they can't survive temperatures much below freezing. Most North American monarchs, with the exception of some in California, Florida and Texas, migrate to Mexico, but how the pattern started is anybody's guess.

Eastern populations winter in Florida, along the coast of Texas, and in Mexico, and return to the north in spring.  Monarch butterflies follow the same migration patterns every year.  During migration, huge numbers of butterflies can be seen gathered together.