27 August 2026

It’s almost September and the final 2026 generation of eastern monarch butterflies is heading south for their wintering grounds in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Mexico. For some of them it will be a journey of 2,500 miles.

Monarch butterfly in flight (photo from Wikimedia)

In the past week I’ve seen several individuals flapping and gliding above my head in a straight line oriented southwest. Yesterday one flew down South Craig Street just below the rooftops. It was a reminder that monarchs cross many different landscapes on their way south.

A few of the buildings on South Craig Street in the Oakland, marked up to show where I see monarch butterflies in fall migration (photo from Wikimedia)

Peak monarch migration through Pittsburgh will occur next month.

Watch their progress on the dynamic map at Journey North (today’s screenshot below). Learn about raising, tagging and tracking monarchs at Monarch Watch.

screenshot on 27 Aug 2026: Map of Monarch Butterfly migration (see it on Journey North)