South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologists have completed a five-year study that uncovered a very interesting discovery about monarch butterflies in the coastal areas of South Carolina. Before we dive into the nitty gritty, there’s one question to clarify: Do monarch butterflies live in South Carolina? Well, until recently, it was believed that the upstate area of South Carolina along the Blue Ridge Mountains is a part of “The Monarch Highway,” or the path the monarchs take when migrating south to Mexico for the winter. However, in 1996, an unusual behavior pattern was noticed by John “Billy” McCord, one of SCDNR’s longtime biologists.

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While monarch butterflies in the eastern United States typically travel the path to Mexico, relying on milkweed plants as hosts for their eggs and caterpillars, there are some monarchs in South Carolina that do not.
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After Mr. McCord first noticed butterflies at Folly Beach in November and December when he thought they should be overwintering in Mexico, he began tagging some of the butterflies to track them. And it became clear they were staying in South Carolina throughout the winter.
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What researchers realized is that a relative of milkweed, known as swallow-worth that grows near salt marshes, is also being used by the monarchs in South Carolina as host plants, rather than just the aquatic milkweed variety.
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So from the research conducted it's now believed that there appears to be a special group of monarchs that overwinter in South Carolina, relying on swamps in spring, summer, and fall ...
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... and the sea islands during the winter! The biodiversity of our state provides a friendly habitat for this group of monarch butterflies, lending special importance to preservation efforts for these habitats to help protect this group of monarch butterflies.
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What do you think of this fascinating research finding? Learn how to raise your own monarch butterflies at home from this informative book.

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