English lesson 70

the monarch butterfly is a very commonly found in North America. its life expectancy is about 2-6 weeks on average. and its wingspan is up to 3.5-4 inches long

the female adult monarch will usually lay 1 egg per leaf. the egg will eventually hatch within 3-8 days and the larvae will begin feasting on the milkweed plants for about two weeks, and will frequently pause to shed its skin. after two weeks the larvae will be ready to pupate and will be about two inches long at that stage. the larvae will then hand upside down on the leaf and will form a silk mat for it to hang on. then the larvae will shed its last layer of skin, and will reveal its chrysalis. the monarch will slowly Develop its wings inside the chrysalis and will emerge 8-15 days later. it will hang on the remains of the chrysalis and pump fluid in its wings for shape, and will wait for its wing to dry. after the wings are dry, the adult monarch butterfly is ready to fly off.

Migration.

the monarch butterfly is a unique phenomenon, in which it’s the only butterfly to make a two day migration, just like birds. most other butterflies are able to live in colder climates, but the monarch butterfly cannot survive in the cold of northern climates. using environmental cues, the monarchs know when to travel south to escape winter. to migrate, they use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances. some fly as far as 3,000 miles. the eastern population of north americas monarchs will end up migrating and overwintering in these 11-12 mountain areas in Mexico in which they will stay for around 5 months. (October to late march)

male and female.

you can tell if a monarch butterfly is male of female by looking at their lower wings. females usually have thicker black stripes. where for males, they have thiner stripes and two dots on their lower wings.

citations

“Monarch Butterfly Migration and Overwintering.” Fs.fed.us, 2016, http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/. Accessed 3 Aug. 2022.

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“WATCH: Swarms of Monarch Butterflies Go Here Every Winter.” Animals, 2017, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/monarch-butterfly. Accessed 3 Aug. 2022.

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