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MPCA Home > Kids > Creature
of the Month > August - Monarch Butterfly
 — August
Scientific Name: Danaus plexippus
Common Name: Monarch Butterfly
 August's
creature of the month is the Monarch Butterfly! August is the best
month to see Monarchs in Minnesota. Did you know that this is the only
butterfly in North America that actually migrates in the fall to a
warmer climate? That's what makes it unique among all the butterflies
in Minnesota.
The Monarch is a beautiful butterfly. But did you know that the markings
on most butterflies are there to scare off predators -- specifically
birds? The bright orange and black markings on the Monarch tells birds
and other "would be Monarch eaters" that the Monarch is poisonous.
Do you know what makes them poisonous? It's what they eat -- milkweed.
The milkweed contains a chemical that birds can't stand.
onarchs are totally dependent on milkweed when they are in the larval
stage. The most common milkweed species in Minnesota is, you guessed
it, the Common Milkweed or Asclepias syriaca. All monarch eggs
are laid only on milkweed plants. After the newly hatched Monarch larvae
eat the egg they were laid in, the young caterpillars start eating
the milkweed leaves. Monarch caterpillars eat like crazy until they
grow about two-inches long. They even shed their skin (molt) up to
four times while they're growing!
Adult Monarch butterflies eat nectar from flowers. Flower nectar
consists of about 20% sugar, which gives the Monarchs energy. Flowers
that have lots of nectar are, of course, what Monarchs prefer. But
you'll see them land on all kinds of flowers to take a sip. The Monarchs
butterflies find flowers by site, but they decide if its worth eating
through taste receptors that are on their feet! They suck up the nectar
through a long tube-like mouth.
Like all butterflies, Monarchs aren't born with wings. They actually
go through four very different stages in their lives:
- Mom lays the egg. One female Monarch can lay up to 400 eggs.
- In a couple of days, the egg hatches and turn into a caterpillar
with black, yellow and white stripes. A Monarch caterpillar can get
kinda' fat and grow about two-inches long.
- Caterpillar makes a "house" called a chrysalis that is attached
to a leaf or twig. The caterpillar makes this stuff that looks like
silk and uses it to build the chrysalis. It attaches the base of
the chrysalis to a sheltered spot under a leaf or twig and then hangs
upside down in it for about five days. Inside the chrysalis, the
caterpillar turns into a pupa. The chrysalis is really neat looking
-- it has a shiny, light green color with a gold band near the top.
The gold is irridescent looking. In the chrysalis, the pupa is going
through some major physical changes.
- Butterfly breaks out of the chrysalis and is free to fly around
and do what butterflies do.
The four stages take about a month to complete. During an average
Minnesota summer, this whole process can happen three or four times.
This means that there can be three to four generations of Monarchs
born in one summer. Most Monarch butterflies only live a few weeks
-- long enough to breed and lay eggs to start the cycle all over again.
So if you think the metamorphosis was cool, just wait 'till you hear
the next part. The last generation of Monarchs born during the summer
are different. These are usually born in late August when the days
get short and the temperatures start cooling down a bit. These changes
prevent the Monarch butterflies from maturing enough to reproduce,
so they live for about eight to nine months.
 But,
have you every seen a Monarch butterfly in the winter in Minnesota?
Of course not! So where did they go? They fly all the way down to Mexico
to hang out during the winter! That's a long trip for Minnesota-born
Monarchs -- about 3,000 miles! Monarchs use the same route to go to
the same place every winter. This place is in the Sierra Madre mountains
west of Mexico City, Mexico.
By now you're probably thinking, hey, Monarchs are just bugs! They
can't read maps, so how do they know how to get to the exact same spot
every fall? Scientists think that Monarchs use the position of the
sun to tell them when to head for Mexico and how to get there. They
think they also use the earth's magnetic field to help them figure
out where to go.
Before the migration begins, you can often see Monarchs in groups
of five or more as they start their way south. But, there are some
spots where lots more Monarchs get together before they start migrating.
 We
all know that Monarchs can't fly very fast. So how do they travel all
the way to Mexico? They use the natural air currents and thermals that
are way up in the sky to get them to Mexico faster.
When they get to Mexico, they hang out in huge numbers in forested
areas. There are numerous sites in the Sierra Madre mountains where
the Monarchs like to stay. But, in spite of efforts to protect them,
many of these sites are being logged or damaged by people. When the
damage is severe, the Monarchs don't have any place to stay.
The Monarchs that survive the winter in Mexico start migrating back
to the U.S. in the spring. They mate all along the way and find milkweed
on which to lay eggs. These eggs hatch, and eventually turn into butterflies
that continue migrating north. Monarchs are found all the way up into
Canada.
You can help protect Monarchs in Minnesota by planting a butterfly
garden in your backyard. Plant flowers that give Monarchs food and
be sure to include some milkweed!
Coloring Page
Monarch Butterfly
gif or  pdf file
More coloring pages are
available!
More Info
Links to Monarch sites:
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