Monarch butterflies continue to surprise researchers. A newly published study of California’s overwintering monarch butterflies shows that the butterflies birthplace doesn’t necessarily impact where it will spend winter months. Previous studies have indicated that the western monarch – butterflies born west of the Rockies – overwinter along the California coast. Meanwhile, eastern-born monarchs travel to central Mexico. The new study found both western and eastern originated monarchs along the California coast. The study was led by Louie Yang, a community ecologist in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and was published in the early online version of the print journal Ecograph. Insight talks with Yang about the study and why it’s important.

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