MONARCHS ACROSS GEORGIA
Symbolic Monarch Migration

Symbolic Migration: Celebrating 27 Years!

​Join us for the 27th annual "Symbolic Monarch Butterfly Migration" with youth from across North America. Families, home schools, nature centers, youth groups, and classrooms are welcome to participate.

In fall 2021, 28,000 youth in the U.S. and Canada created symbolic butterflies and sent them to Mexico for the winter. Students in schools near the Mexican monarch sanctuaries protected the butterflies and sent them north in spring 2022.

These symbolic butterflies build bridges of communication between students in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. United by the monarch butterfly, children across North America learn authentic lessons of conservation, cooperation, and ambassadorship. Read about the Mexican school visits at https://symbolicmigration.org/.

The complete details on how to participate are in the LEADER PACKET for the 2022-23 Symbolic Migration season. The printable documents linked below are in the Leader Packet as well, but are also included here for your convenience.

• Hello Friends/Hola Amigos Letter (1-page PDF)
• Life-Sized Butterfly Template  (Google doc w/ 4 butterflies on a page)
• Directions (video below)

• Ambassador Template (optional 1-page PDF to be printed on 11"x17" heavyweight paper and used in lieu of a manila folder)
• Examples of Ambassadors​

To cover the costs of this important educational project, participants must buy a $15 “Passenger Ticket” for each Ambassador Butterfly folder submitted. These funds will support school visits in Mexico to deliver the butterflies and provide conservation education. Purchases can be made through our secure website with credit/debit cards (Discover, MasterCard, or Visa) or mailed checks (U.S. banks only).

Buy Your Passenger Ticket

VIDEOS
​Springtime - A Time of Renewal

The Symbolic Migration Project

Three Nations Join to Celebrate Monarch Butterflies

ButterBike with Sarah Dykman 

Monarch! Come Play with Me! by Ba Rea (book readings in English and Spanish)

Dia de los Muertos (PowerPoint by Estela Romero)

The postmark deadline for the 2022-23 Symbolic Migration season is October 7, 2022.  

If you can't participate in the Symbolic Migration this season, but would still like to receive news, you can sign up to receive Symbolic Migration News Updates. 

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Timeline 2022-2023

Before October 7, 2022

• Introduce Symbolic Migration (Activities #1-6) https://journeynorth.org/symbolic-migration/resources/teaching/07212020-participate-symbolic-migration-project ​
• ​Follow the directions in the Leader's Packet and mail your Ambassador Butterfly and enclosures by the postmark deadline of October 7, 2022.
  
• Report to Journey North's Symbolic Migration Participant Map. Be sure to include the leader’s name, school/group/family, town, and state/province and country in your message. Optionally, include a picture of your Ambassador Butterfly.  
  https://maps.journeynorth.org/map/?year=2022&map=symbolic-monarch-sent 

Special note: Unfortunately, the map can only display one dot at each location, and clicking on the dot will only show one report (the most recent record reported). We suggest that if multiple groups will be reporting from the same address, one leader should act as liaison and a photo collage of all the Ambassador Butterflies be uploaded for that address. All individual reports and photos will appear on the List of Participants. 
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 November 2022 - March 2023: Learn About the Monarch's Winter Home in Mexico

• Read about your Ambassador Butterfly in Mexico! Use the search function at the top right of the https://symbolicmigration.org/ website to locate your school/group/family or your town. Check back weekly! Deliveries begin mid-November and are usually completed by late February or early March.
• Read monarch butterfly news from Mexico: https://journeynorth.org/monarchs/news
• Enjoy Journey North's online resources including "Life in the Monarch Sanctuary Region of Mexico"  https://journeynorth.org/tm/symbolic/indexCurrent.html

 April 2023: Continue the Cycle of Friendship

• Watch your  mailbox! You will receive an envelope with clusters of life-sized butterflies and a letter from a Mexican student in ample time for a Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) homecoming celebration.
• VERY IMPORTANT: Report the arrival of individual life-sized butterflies by contacting the leaders directly. Leader emails should be on every life-sized butterfly. Please make time for this important step! Children will be waiting to find out where their own butterflies landed.

 

Follow Us & Keep in Touch

The Symbolic Migration project is a partnership project between Journey North, a program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, and Monarchs Across Georgia, a committee of The Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia, a 501(c)(3) organization. Journey North manages the interactive Symbolic Migration Participant Maps and hosts all educational materials on the Journey North website. Monarchs Across Georgia administers the program and is responsible for all fundraising.