Freud Urquhart
Encyclopedia
Fred Albert Urquhart was a Canadian
zoologist who crucially contributed to find where do the monarch butterflies
, Danaus plexippus L., spend their winter away from their summer residence areas in Canada and the USA.
Urquhart's research on the route and destination of the insects started in 1937 and lasted for 38 years. He followed the trails of the butterflies into the Mexican territory by tagging the wings of some individuals. He found out that they only travelled in daylight. They cruise at 20 kilometers per hour at 50 meters high over flat areas and 10 meters over mountains. During the night, the butterflies feed on milkweed and rest.
Kenneth C. Brugger
, one of Urquhart's assistants, finally found the first wintering refuge in Michoacán
, Mexico
, on the 9th of January 1975, more than 4,000 kilometers from the starting point of their migration.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
zoologist who crucially contributed to find where do the monarch butterflies
Monarch butterfly
The Monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly , in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer...
, Danaus plexippus L., spend their winter away from their summer residence areas in Canada and the USA.
Urquhart's research on the route and destination of the insects started in 1937 and lasted for 38 years. He followed the trails of the butterflies into the Mexican territory by tagging the wings of some individuals. He found out that they only travelled in daylight. They cruise at 20 kilometers per hour at 50 meters high over flat areas and 10 meters over mountains. During the night, the butterflies feed on milkweed and rest.
Kenneth C. Brugger
Kenneth C. Brugger
-Further reading:...
, one of Urquhart's assistants, finally found the first wintering refuge in Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, on the 9th of January 1975, more than 4,000 kilometers from the starting point of their migration.