#monarch-butterfly

#monarch-butterfly

Most monarchs live just a few weeks, but the super generation that overwinters in California lives six to nine months. For much of the year, the butterflies are solitary, but they cluster together at overwintering sites, sometimes by the thousands. Monarchs use the groves to rest, but when it's warm enough during the dayabove around 55 degrees Fahrenheitthey break out of those clusters to search for nectar.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- When this monarch butterfly hits the sky it won't be traveling alone. In fact, an energetic team of researchers will be following along with a revolutionary technology that's already unlocking secrets that could help the entire species survive. "I've described this technology as a spaceship compared to the wheel, like using a using a spaceship compared to the invention of the wheel. It's teaching us so, so much more," says Ray Moranz, Ph.D., a pollinator conservation specialist with the Xerces Society.