Waco, TX – According to the state officials, this study reportedly looked at mitigation strategies that TxDOT could implement to reduce collisions with traffic.
TxDOT officials also announced that the study identified nearly a dozen hot spots, where monarchs were being killed by vehicles.
The monarch is considered a “candidate species,” which means it is currently being reviewed to determine whether it warrants listing under the Endangered Species Act.
TxDOT plans to install “monarch flight diverters” next to highways along the migration route.
The diverters are netting that will force the monarch to fly higher above the road and avoid traffic.
TxDOT plans are to have several test deflectors installed before the fall migration.
In the spring and summer, monarchs migrate north from Mexico, laying eggs on milkweed plants during their journey.
The eggs produce caterpillars, which become winged butterflies that move farther north, repeating the cycle over multiple generations until they reach Canada. These breeding monarchs have a lifespan of two to five weeks.
However, the final generation of monarchs — born in late summer — can live about eight months, allowing them to make the flight to Mexico, hibernate for the winter and start the breeding cycle and northerly migration all over again the following spring.
