With the information obtained during the monarch butterfly’s journey, it will be possible to strengthen conservation strategies in the three countries that make up its migratory route: Canada, the US and Mexico.
Mexico City, November 16 (However).- The first copies of the monarch butterfly equipped with satellite microtransmitters they arrived at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan.
The state Tourism Secretariat confirmed this weekend the arrival of the first traveler identified as MW026, a member of the Monarch Collaboration Project, an initiative that seeks to revolutionize the study of the migration of this species.
The program will allow the butterflies’ route to be followed in real time from Canada and the United States to Mexico, reinforcing conservation strategies in the three countries that make up their route.
The monarch butterfly, identified as MW026 MW026, completed a #journey of more than 4 thousand kilometers from #Kansas until #Michoacan 🌲 making history by being the first with a satellite transmitter to reach the Biosphere Reserve 🌿@Sectur_Mich
Learn more 👇… pic.twitter.com/9mlrccJMmL
— Mexico Magic Route (@mxrutamagica) November 13, 2025
“This weekend the arrival of the first Monarch Butterfly with a transmitter to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán was confirmed. Identified as MW026, this tireless traveler is part of the Monarch Collaboration Project, which is revolutionizing the study of its migration,” reported the Ministry of Tourism of Michoacán.
Monarch butterflies equipped with satellite transmitters were released on September 27, 2025 in Lawrence, Kansas. From there they began their journey to the sanctuaries of Michoacán, flying south and crossing Oklahoma and Texas, until sending their first signal in Mexico from Tamaulipas, near the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve.
They subsequently crossed the skies of San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro and the State of Mexico, until reaching their destination on November 9, after 43 days of flight and more than four thousand kilometers traveled.
“The migratory phenomenon of the monarch butterfly once again wrote a historical page. For the first time, specimens equipped with satellite microtransmitters have arrived in Mexican territory, specifically to the El Rosario Sanctuary, in the municipality of Ocampo, Michoacán, within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, marking an unprecedented scientific and environmental milestone,” explained Roberto Monroy García, Secretary of Tourism of the entity.
We are already in the 2025 monarch butterfly migration season 🦋
They travel 4,000 kilometers and are in danger of extinction, don’t hurt them 🦋 pic.twitter.com/a3Xn7bWw3C
— Biodiversity of Guanajuato 🐸 (@BioGuanajuato) November 11, 2025
The Ministry of Tourism of Michoacán explained in a statement that the project is led by David La Puma, from Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT), who promotes the use of ultralight solar transmitters to understand migration.
“The ultra-light solar transmitters, weighing just 60 milligrams and using Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz technology, allow the movements of the butterflies to be followed in real time, providing information about their routes, rest times and risk areas,” he explained.
After traveling more than four thousand kilometers from Canada and the United States (US), millions of specimens are already preparing to hibernate in the fir forests of Mexico.