Monarch butterflies stop in Branson on their migration

The Veterans Memorial Garden welcomed visitors making their way to their winter home in Mexico.

The Monarch Butterflies, who migrate each year from Canada and the United States to Mexico, have stopped at the garden’s Monarch Butterfly Waystation for a layover. 

Garden Administrator Jana Evans told Branson Tri-Lakes News the butterflies have come to feed on the nectar of milkweed, which the garden volunteers planted for the butterflies. 

“The Monarchs are here,” Evans said. “They are making their way to Mexico and we have a waystation for them on their journey. It is so beautiful to see the garden filled with these butterflies.”

The Monarchs born in mid-August begin this migration from birth. 

As day length and temperatures decrease and the milkweed and other nectar sources the butterflies feed on deplenish during the fall months the butterflies make their way to a warmer climate. The Monarchs have summer generations, which live for two to six weeks as adults, and then the migratory generation, which can live for up to nine months. Most of their lives are spent going to overwinter grounds they have never been before. After the August butterflies reach adulthood, they begin to flitter their way toward Mexico. Along the way, they will search out and find refuge in stopover sites with abundant nectar sources and shelter, like the way station at the Veterans Memorial Garden.  

“We have milkweed planted for them as they move through our area,” Evans said. “Their migration is so long and we are glad to give them a beautiful place to stop, while letting our visitors have a chance to see the garden with these wonderful butterflies.”

When the butterflies reach their destination, which will take them until the beginning of November, they will conserve energy to survive the winter. In March, this generation begins the journey north into the southern United States, laying eggs as they migrate. The first generation offspring from the migrating population will continue the journey from the southern states to recolonize the east and north. Then the process begins again.

Evans said anyone can create these waystations for the butterflies as they travel back and forth, giving them the opportunity to not only help the butterflies but to get up close and personal with them.

“It is really a sight to see when a garden is filled with these butterflies,” Evans said. 

For more information on the Veterans Memorial Garden visit  veteransmemorialgarden.com.