Every fall, monarch butterflies embark on one of nature’s greatest journeys. These insects flap more than 2,000 miles from their summer homes in Canada down to the mountains of central Mexico. Researchers have found a shared trait in the butterflies that make it: The edges of their wings tend to be slightly spottier. He added, “All of a sudden, it seems like they’re really important.”Monarch wings are mostly orange, but their edges are black, punctuated with tiny white spots. Dr. Davis was curious if those black edges contributed to monarchs’ migratory capabilities.

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Persons: ”, Andy Davis, Davis, Mostafa Hassanalian Organizations: University of Georgia, New Mexico Institute of Mining, Technology Locations: Canada, Mexico