Are monarchs flying south now? Yes, many follow Michigan's shorelines

Following the shorelines of the Great Lakes, monarch butterflies are gradually leaving Michigan as their instincts take them south.

Millions of monarchs migrate from Mexico and the Gulf Coast each spring to the U.S. and Canada where they breed and die. The final summer generation, once temperatures begin to drop, begin a migration to spend the winter in California, Florida or Mexico.

Monarchs inhabiting areas east of The Rocky Mountains — including Michigan — will winter in the Trans-Mexico Volcanic Belt of central Mexico and southern Florida, according to MonarchWatch.org.

In Michigan, monarchs spent their summer breeding and sipping nectar from flowers, but now many use the Great Lakes as a tool to safely leave the state.

"It is not uncommon that Great Lakes boaters or fisherman