Monarch Butterfly section - #1 Monarch Butterfly Information resource.

Biology

The transformation of the frequently ugly or bizarre caterpillar into an elegant butterfly – is truly one of the regularly performed miracles of Nature. All butterflies have "complete metamorphosis." To grow into an adult they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Each stage has a different goal – for instance, caterpillars need to eat a lot, and adults need to reproduce. Because the caterpillar and adult eat different kinds of food, this helps the butterflies to better survive. Depending on the species, the life cycle of a butterfly (one generation) may take anywhere from about one month to an entire year. The Monarch Butterfly has 4 entire generations per year. Click for a great Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Coloring Page.

Migration

Have you heard of migration of the Monarch butterfly? The monarch butterfly is one of the best known of all North American butterflies because they make annual migrations across America to avoid winter weather. In autumn, tens of millions of Monarch butterflies fly south and roost in huge numbers on trees in selected mountain areas of California and Mexico. Monarch butterflies will use the same trees year after year. The Monarch butterfly migrates for 2 reasons. They can not withstand freezing weather in the northern and central continental climates in the winter. Also, the larval food plants do not grow in their winter overwintering sites, so the spring generation must fly back north to regions where the plants are plentiful. Their journey can cover up to 2,000 miles before it ends! Would you like to help track monarch butterfly migrations? Visit Monarchwatch for lots of information on monarch butterfly migrations with a color map.

Conservation

Monarch butterflies and their amazing annual migration are seriously threatened by human activities, in both their summer and overwintering sites. Many of these threatening activities involve Monarch butterfly habitat destruction. New roads, housing developments, and agricultural expansion all transform a natural landscape so that Monarch butterflies can not live there. Also, some people consider milkweed plants, which are the plant their larvae feed on exclusively, a noxious weed so it is often destroyed.

With this information in mind, conservationists have created many projects to protect Monarch butterfly overwintering sites, most often through conservation easements of land. This means landowners set aside a portion of their land permanently as protected Monarch butterfly habitat. Some groups work with governmental agencies and local people to establish land protection and initiate education about Monarch conservation. You can visit the Michoacan Reforestation and Habitat Protection Fund, which is a project working with the sensitive balance between the needs of the Monarch butterflies and the needs of the people who share the overwintering area with them. Also, the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation whose mission is to provide financial and scientific support for preserving the overwintering ground of eastern Monarch butterflies. 

In the News

Monarchs are frequently making headlines. Here are some interesting articles in the news about Monarchs. 

• Monarch Butterflies use Magnetic Compasses to Navigate  

• Mexico Vows to Protect Monarch Butterfly 

• 2006 Monarch Population Largest Watchers have seen in 10 Years

• Climate Change May Endanger Monarchs 

• Changing Climate May Leave Wintering Monarchs Out in the Cold

• How Monarchs Make Their Way to Mexico

• Monarchs Suffer Through a Tough Winter
  

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