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Autumn is the season of cool weather, brightly colored trees, first frosts, bountiful harvests and school Homecomings.
It's also a season of migration. Creatures that spend the summer in northern regions of North America travel south where they can have a comfortable winter.
My familiarity with migration has involved two species. The first is the monarch butterfly, which flies all the way to southern Mexico. The second is the Canada geese. They go from Canada to Missouri through a fly zone that includes southwestern Minnesota.
The butterflies were plentiful in 2026. I grew marigolds in my raised bed garden, starting them off as four young plants in a four-pack.
They grew to a tall height and had dozens of giant sized flowers. They attracted bees and butterflies. A high number of them were monarchs.
It reminded me of how monarchs used to flock to my parents' back yard gardens on Marguerite Avenue. Their population is high in late summer, as they get ready for a long migratory flight. Each year a particular generation is genetically selected to make the journey.
I've often wondered if the migration strains the monarchs. I hope that it's easy for them, that they just coast along on prevailing winds.
They have natural defenses that protect them against predators. One of those defenses is a bad taste. Predators avoid them because of the taste and the likelihood that they'd cause digestive issues.
I've heard that monarchs are making a comeback after a long term decline. One of the main reasons was habitat destruction in Mexico. They cluster in a small geographic area in the winter, unlike how they spread out to much of the continent during the summer months.
It's been more than a week since I've seen any monarchs, so I'm guessing that they've migrated for 2026. I think we'll see and hear more geese in the next several weeks.
I hope to see some large flocks flying over Marshall. They're a sure sign that time is marching on, that winter is right around the corner.
Migration has two fundamental mysteries with both butterflies and geese. There's a question of how they know when to leave. An even bigger question is how they know where they should go.
The "when" aspect could easily be the same as what probably causes fall color. The leaf stem dies and the leaves lose the chlorophyll that keeps them green. Either cool fall temperatures or shortened daylight might act as signals. Maybe they signal migrations as well.
The "where" question is even more uncertain. Somehow the creatures know enough not to take off in the wrong direction. They never go north toward polar regions, or east or west where winter would be just as cold.
There must be a built-in sense that tells them to return to the same places twice a year. It's a sign of natural capabilities that make it possible for the creatures to survive.
Maybe we aren't meant to know exactly what causes migration. It's probably a gift that originated many centuries ago. So far it has transcended changes in land use and fluctuations in climate.
It's enough for us to know that migration is one of the autumn miracles that usher in a cold Minnesota winter, which in turn eventually gives way to miracles of spring.
Nature manages itself extremely well if man made factors don't interfere. Since the early 1800s there have been many man made factors. The environmental awareness inspired by Earth Day, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and other progress represents a start as far as preserving our resources.
More needs to be done. We need to act based on long term issues rather than short term economic gains. It should be based on a goal to make planet Earth livable for future generations.
We're fortunate that we can enjoy bits and pieces of the natural world like butterflies and geese. Our descendants should have the opportunity to see the same sights and hear the same sounds.
-- Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent