Monarch Butterfly Facts

Monarch butterflies travel remarkable distances an their autumn migration. Since they stop to breed along the way, the butterflies that make the reverse migration in spring are often five generations removed from those that originally migrated in autumn.

CLASS Insecta	ORDER Lepidoptera	FAMILY Danaidae	GENUS & SPECIES Danaus plexippus
*Borne aloft as brightly colored wings, the monarch butterfly completes a marvelous feat of endurance each year, migrating thousands of miles to spend the winter in California and Mexico.* FEATURES OF THE MONARCH * The monach is an insect. It has six legs and a body divded into three segments head, thorax and adbomen. Butterflies, in common with most other insects, also have wings and feelers, called antennae. * One of the best ways to tell a butterly from a moth is to look at its feelers. Butterfly feelers are slender and have knobs on the end. Moth feelers are often feathery and do not have bulbs at the ends. * Unlike moths, butterflies rest with their wings together. For this reason, the monarch has its warning coloration on both sides of its wings . Butterfly wings are made up of tiny scales, arranged in overlapping rows. KEY FATS CHARACTERISTICS Lenght: 1 in.(body), Mouthparts: Sucking in adult. Wings: 2 pairs of flying wings. Wingspan: 3 in. BREEDING Eggs: Number variable. Hatching time: 3-4 days. Development time of caterpillars: 3-4 weeks. LIFE CYCLE Diet: Larvae feed on milkweed; adults feed on flower nectar. Lifespan: 3-4 weeks in summer generations; 7-8 months in over wintered generation. . RELATED SPECIES The simlar African monarch, Danaus chrysippus.

BREEDING
In early spring monarch butterflies come out of hiberation and begin their migration north. Many stop to mate and lay their eggs on milkweed plants. The eggs hatch into caterpillars within a few days. After the caterpillars pupate and become butterflies a month later, they also join the northward flight.

During the flight, the newly-adult butterflies may also stop to breed,. Up to five generations of monarch butterflies may migrate in one season . All monarch butterflies congregate at specific winter roost sites in California and Mexico.

HABITS The monarch butterfly is found throught North and South America wherever the milkweed plant grows. The monarch larvae feed on various types of milkweed, which thrives in open spaces, as well as beside roads, along woodland edges, on empty lots, and in overgrazed pastures. Anywhere milkweed grows, monarchs thrive.	*A group of monarchs converage on their winter roast. Thousands of butterflies congregate on one tree.*
MIGRATION Despite its paper-thin wings, the monarch butterfly is a powerful flyer with uncanny endurance. It is best known for its annual migration through -- sometimes as far as 3,000 miles--North America to California and Mexico. Monarch butterflies that breed in the temperate parts of North America migrate so that their eggs and caterpillars won't be killed by prolonged winter frost. For this reason, the autumn monarch broods are more likely to migrate than those that are hatched during the warm spring weather. The 5 million monarch butterflies from western North America head for a small number of sities scattered along the coast of California. The 100 million butterflies from the eastern part of the country head south to Michoacan in central Mexico. During the last 200 years, the monarch butterfly has also succeeded in colonizing place as far away as Hawaii, Fijj, Australia, and New Zealand. These tropical monarch butterflies tend to be less mobile than their relatives in the temperate zones, seldom needing to travel far from their warm habtat.
HIBERNATION Despite its paper-thin wings, the monarch butterfly is a powerful flyer with uncanny endurance. It is best known for its annual migration through -- sometimes as far as 3,000 miles--North America to California and Mexico. Monarch butterflies that breed in the temperate parts of North America migrate so that their eggs and caterpillars won't be killed by prolonged winter frost. For this reason, the autumn monarch broods are more likely to migrate than those that are hatched during the warm spring weather. SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS Monarchs have striking black and white stripes and yellow sports. Their bold coloration serves as a warning to predators that they are unpleasant to eat. The caterpillars feed on milkweed, and their bodies absorb its poisons. There poisons can cause servere vomiting in most any animal that eats either a monarch caterpillar or the adult butterfly.
DID YOU KNOW ? The longest recorded flight of a monarch butterfly is over 3,000 miles. While migrating, it can cover 80 miles a day. The monarch butterfly is beleved to have reached some of the islands it has colonized by hanging on to the riggings of ships. The monarch makes its migratory flight at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour. It travels 16 or 17 feet above the ground.

Chose Your Animal Facts
HOME PAGE		Click Top
	*MORE ANIMAL FACTS WILL BE ADDED SOON !*

Return To

Main Page