Monarch butterflies are on an incredible journey right now, migrating south across the U.S., and you can join them in their travels.

These monarchs are riding autumn cold fronts — surfing the uplifted air and catching northerly tailwinds to cover up to 80 miles a day.

A trip that takes generations

Every spring, monarchs make their first journey of the year, traveling 3,000 miles to settle in the northern U.S. and Canada for breeding season.

As this first generation travels north from Mexico, they lay eggs in the southern U.S. When those eggs hatch, the new generation continues the journey northward to lay the next generation of eggs.

(MORE: Monarch butterflies begin 3,000-mile migration this March)

This continues in the north several times throughout the year until the great-great-grandchildren of the original group from Mexico makes a second journey of the year to go south. 

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This fall migration begins in September and lasts through November.

When they finally return to Mexico, they search for overwintering grounds, where they are provided the right conditions to conserve enough energy to survive winter.

Weather impacts on monarch butterflies

They go through several stages: egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and finally butterfly. But how many days they spend in each stage is dependent on temperature, so their development is highly influenced by weather.

For example, with temperatures around 82 degrees, it takes 22 days to go from egg to adult. But at 72 degrees, that jumps to 37 days.

(MORE: Butterflies belong to summer, but heat waves are turning against them)

They also take cues from nature to know when it’s time to migrate — triggered by decreasing day length and temperatures.

Certain weather patterns can either slow or accelerate this: Strong southwesterly winds tend to slow it, while rapidly moving cold fronts from the northwest can speed it up.

During high winds that oppose their migration, they will not travel at all. Even light winds can oppose their flight, and they may fly just above the ground.

Join the journey

Volunteers across the U.S. can help monarch researchers by contributing data of their sightings online through the Journey North project.

In the spring, sightings of monarch eggs, larvae and adults — especially the earliest reports of each — are what researchers need most.

(MORE: Critically endangered Florida butterfly has an unexpected weather ally)

In the fall, monarchs travel alone during the day. But at night, they gather together in trees to form roosts.

Roosts are one of the clearest signs that migration is underway, and identifying them is particularly helpful to researchers tracking their movement.

Roosts can vary greatly, from just a dozen butterflies to even thousands, staying for a night or two or a whole week. You can look at the fall roost map to see where they are on their journey right now.

To find a roost, you can try checking spots where people have reported them in years past.

Content writer Ada Wood enjoys exploring the stories that science and climate teach us about our natural world and how it influences the way we live in it.