Year-Round Monarchs in Coastal South Carolina

We typically think of monarchs and their annual epic migration journey between Canada and Mexico, but a new study conducted by biologists from SC Department of Natural Resources suggests that coastal South Carolina may be home to a year-round population of monarch butterflies. Tracked and monitored over the course of seasons, these butterflies appear to rely on swamps in spring, summer, and fall; and move to the Sea Islands for the winter months. These butterflies and their caterpillars depend on two varieties of milkweed as host plants — the previously known aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis), as well as the swallow-wort (Pattalias palustre), which was previously unrecognized as a host plant for monarchs. See the SCDNR for the press release for more details, or read the peer-reviewed article HERE.