The Wetlands Institute program

We took a day trip to Cape May to do a program through the wetlands institute about the migration of butterflies and birds. First out guide Michelle taught us about the different species of birds and about the sizes and characteristics of them and then our guide took us up to a bird watching deck and gave everyone binoculars we searched for red tail hawks, vaulters, seagulls, and others. Then everyone had lunch and then we moved onto Monarch butterflies and their migration process. we went on a walk to look for Monarchs we found a few and a few other butterflies.

The butterflies migration process

First they hatch out of their eggs and are caterpillars then the eat everyone single day all day long for about two weeks then they go their chrysalis phase and they’ll be in that phase for 8-12 days and during that past the caterpillar turn into a butterfly once it is done transforming the butterfly hatches out of its chrysalis and starts its migration process. The butterfly spends its whole life in the migration process. They start by immediately finding food to eat and then they take off and head for the south/Mexico from wherever they have hatched. As the butterfly starts to head south it stops for food and to rest along the way, the butterflies life span isn’t that long (2-8 weeks) and flying for so long and so far is tiring and most butterflies die half way through the process of migration but before they die they lay eggs to help finish the journey. It takes about four generations of Monarchs to get all the way down to Mexico.