What location will they return to: egg location or chrysalis

[BEDEDOG]

I have been collecting caterpillars for a week or so now and one of my students asked me a very good question. "Will the butterflies come back to our school next summer or will they go back to where I found the caterpillars?" I collected the caterpillars about 15 miles away from school in an area near my home and I bring them into my classroom. We plan to release our tagged butterflies from the classroom. Does anyone know how specific the location is that they return to the next year. I am guessing that this is one of the many questions that is still a mystery about Monarchs but if anyone has any ideas I would like to hear about them.

Thanks.

[Mona Miller]

Return:

1. Where the wind blows them, but their general direction in the spring is north. They are called the 'Wanderer'.
2. Where there are milkweed and nectar sources.
3. Where the adults were released, if there are good nectar and host sources. I've seen butterflies traveling up the hill at the elementary school where we set up a small meadow and butterfly garden. I helped the science teachers set up a tagging program for many years at that school.
4. Thousands of Monarchs are mailed throughout the eastern United States and also in the West. They are not supposed to be mailed across the divide. They are released for many reasons. These butterflies in the spring probably would, go north. In the fall, they probably would head south.