Do monarchs return to the same areas when they are traveling north?

There is no evidence to suggest that an individual monarch’s offspring return annually to the habitats their ancestors came from. It is most likely that the monarchs you see each year are new to your garden, and not the same monarchs that grew there previously, or their descendants. This is because there are 4 generations that take place throughout the year for eastern monarchs. By the time monarchs are back in the summer breeding range the next year, they are generations removed from the breeding individuals of the previous year. 

During the eastern population’s summer breeding season, 3 generations pass before the migratory generation (the 4th generation) leaves for Mexico. Successful migrating monarchs will live between 6 to 9 months and reproduce and die in the southern U.S. in the spring. Their offspring then carry on their migration north. Therefore, individual monarchs do not make it back to their original starting place. For a visual reference of the monarch generations click here.