The Monarch Butterfly

e Monarch Butter y

Adult Food Plants

Monarch butter ies primarily feed on the nectar of various owering plants as adults, which is crucial for pollination. Common nectar sources include, but are not limited to:

• Aster

• Butter y Bush

• Goldenrod

• Milkweed

• Purple Cone ower

• Verbena

• Zinnia

FUN FACTS:

• Each year Monarch butter ies y up to 2,000 miles from northeastern North America to Mexico. Recent experiments show that they navigate using the earth's magnetic eld.

• A female Monarch butter y can lay as much as 100 eggs in her lifetime.

• Each year, about 4 generations of Monarch butter ies occur.

• ey are as light as a paperclip. Monarch butter ies range in weight from 0.75 to 0.25 grams. In addition, a mature monarch weighs just approximately half a gram.

Host & Caterpillar Food Plants • Milkweed • Butter y Weed

Swamp Milkweed

Monarchs

Monarch butter ies are a beloved sight in the eastern United States. ese beautiful insects are known for their orange and black wings, which are marked with intricate patterns. ey are also famous for their incredible migration, which takes them from their winter homes in Mexico all the way to Canada and back again. Unfortunately, monarch butter y populations have been declining in recent years. is is due to a variety of factors, including habitat loss, disease and other things . However, there are many conservation e orts underway to help protect these amazing creatures. One way that people can help is by planting milkweed and other native plants in their gardens. ese plants provide crucial habitat and food for monarchs, and can help support their populations.

Migration

Monarch butter ies are known for their incredible migration patterns. Every fall, millions of monarchs y thousands of miles from their summer breeding grounds in the United States and Canada to their wintering sites in Mexico. e journey takes several generations of butter ies to complete, with each generation passing on the knowledge of where to y and when. It's truly a remarkable feat of nature.

Monarch Life Cycle

(Danaus plexippus)

e life cycle of Monarch butter ies is characterized by four distinct stages, namely the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. e female butter y lays its eggs on the leaves of milkweed, which later hatch into caterpillars. Upon maturation, the caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis process, transforming into a chrysalis and nally emerging as a fully-formed butter y. e adult stage is characterized by orange wings with black veins and white spots, and the butter ies feed on nectar, mate, and the super generation migrate thousands of miles to warmer climates.