Life of the Monarch butterfly from caterpillar to butterfly.
It is Monarch migration time again. This is a revised and updated posting of a similar topic previously posted.
Monarch butterflies are absolutely remarkable because of their metamorphosis, multigenerational migration, exclusive feeding habits and spectacular beauty. It’s just remarkable that the apparently whimsical flights of these delicate creatures can actually be consistent with a tough, resilient and ancient species.
Here in Florida our Monarchs belong to the Central/Eastern flyway group. The other is in the west coast; California. In the wild you can look for the adult form as they flutter-by from garden flower to garden flower. They are looking for their favorite food. They eat only milkweed plants. If you pay particular attention to the plants you will see an entirely different aspect of their lives. Look for milkweed plants of which there are two species here in Florida. If you look at the leaves you may see two features. The easiest to spot are the denuded branches and partially eaten leaves. These are signs of the activity of the insects.
In the wild the survival rate is low. I would guess it is in the range of 20%. One of the survival risks may depend upon the complexity of the metamorphosis of the insect. There are four distinct stages in the life form of the Monarch. These include egg which lasts a few days, caterpillar which lasts about two weeks, pupa or chrysalis which lasts about 10 days and butterfly which is good to go for about 6 weeks. These images show the stages as they transpire.
In another posting you can see the hazards from “OE” disease in the egg and caterpillar stages of the Monarch.
The Monarchs are imperiled by the whims of people. Locally, the planting of non-native milkweed species upsets the natural pattern of the migration. This promotes overwintering of a small population in south central Florida. Destruction of native milkweed especially in farming regions and by urbanization reduces food resources of these insects. The remote fir forests of Mexico’s Central Highlands, where millions of monarchs roost in protected sanctuaries each winter are threatened by human encroachment on this target destination of the Eastern migration. Climate change. pesticides and herbicides severely threaten the flyway and the population level. The species is globally endangered, in the USA the species are listed as threatened.
Butterfly Travel | Mexico Ecotourism | Natural Habitat Adventures
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#butterflies #Monarch #migration #life cycle
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