Monarchs and Hummingbirds
In the next month or two, we will have hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly migrating through the county. October 11th through the 17th is typically the peak migration time for the monarch to be passing through the county, while the ruby-throated and blackchinned hummingbird migration peaks from August through September.
As you may or may not know, the monarch butterfly is the only butterfly that makes a two-way migration just like migratory birds do. Monarchs cannot survive the cold winters in the U.S. and Canada. Using environmental cues, each year they travel on air currents and thermals as far as 3,000 miles to their winter homes in Mexico. The monarchs that pass-through Comanche County are a part of the Eastern North American Population.
The eastern monarch population summer east of the Rocky Mountains, while the western population summer west of the Rocky Mountains. The eastern population overwinters in oyamel fir forest in the Mexican states of Mexico and Michoacan from October to late March- this group has experienced some decline in numbers. Scientists are concerned that natural disasters in the butterflies wintering grounds and a lower population of milkweed in their summer range is having an adverse effect on the population. The western population overwinters in California along the Pacific coast near Santa Cruz and San Diego.
I was very surprised that the actual overwintering area in Mexico occupied by monarchs is very small from 1 to 45 acres. It is estimated that there are 8 to 12 million monarchs per acre on these overwintering grounds. To get an idea on population, researchers use the number of acres occupied at the overwintering sites to establish population estimates. Therecommended threshold for a healthy population is 14.82 acres. Unfortunately, the 20232024 overwintering population only occupied 2.22 acres. To provide some context, in the winter of 2013-14, experts reported the lowest monarch population on record with an occupied 1.66 acres of overwintering habitat. In 1996-97, monarch populations peaked with estimates reporting more than one billion monarchs occupying 44.5 acres of habitat.
The ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbird are the two commonly found hummingbirds in our area. Both species’ migration to winter grounds is from mid-July until mid-November. These hummingbirds’ winter from Mexico to Costa Rica or Panama. Some cross directly over the coast, but most go around, concentrating on the Texas Coast. Depending on what you read, but using respected researcher information, it appears both species’ populations are relatively stable.
People often worry about when to feed or not to feed and will feeding them too late into the fall cause them to not migrate as they should. From what I can gather, so long as you keep your feeders clean you can keep feeding them until you stop seeing hummingbirds. The access to feeders or adequate nectar does not dictate migration. They are genetically programmed to head south based on length of day and the angle of the sun. Late migrants will enjoy a pit stop and a snack. The only thing you should put into your feeders is a 1:4 solution of refined white sugar to tap water. No red dye or molasses or other supplements. There are several plants that can also help attract and provide food for hummingbirds. Those with trumpet shaped flowers are the best, but not the only plants available. Selecting plants with overlapping bloom periods and some that will continue to bloom later into the fall is also important. The good news is that hummingbirds feed on many of the same flowers that the Monarch depend on for nectar during migrating.
While I am no monarch or hummingbird expert, these are both very interesting migrating species that spend time in our area. You can find lots of good research about them on the computer. You may also be able to help both during their migration by selective flower planting and proper feeding for the hummingbird.