Monarch Butterflies Are Headed Straight For South Dakota This Spring

Spring is finally here and with it comes warmer days, cherry blossoms, and colorful new beginnings. While cute baby rabbits and birds are to be expected in the next few months, did you know that there is another colorful, simply stunning natural phenomenon on the horizon? Make your plans now to be outside as often as possible during South Dakota’s annual monarch butterfly migration:

Taking place March through June is the annual monarch butterfly migration, in which butterflies begin to move north following the cold winter months.

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Each fall, butterflies instinctively head south for warmer temperatures, where they lay eggs on milkweed before dying. Come spring, these eggs hatch, and caterpillars emerge, soon transforming into beautiful butterflies and beginning the long journey north.

Getty Images/ Annie Otzen

Since most butterflies migrate to southern California or Mexico, the journey north takes a long time, so plan to begin seeing the majority of these beautiful creatures come late May.

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To increase your chances of having more butterfly visitors this spring, experts recommend planting milkweed in your yard, as it has become increasingly difficult for the insects to find around South Dakota.

Getty Images/Annie Otzen Milkweed can be found at your local garden store.

Once the butterflies begin to arrive around the Mount Rushmore State, you can expect to see them until early September, when they begin to make the long trip south.

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How do the butterflies know to migrate? This is a question that still baffles scientists, but one thing is for sure: it is truly a sight to see!

Getty Images/Diane Labombarbe

By the way, make sure to have your camera handy, as you never know just what you will capture!

Getty Images/Annie Otzen

Craving even more beauty? Then Discover One Of South Dakota’s Most Majestic Waterfalls – No Hiking Necessary.