Flight of the Monarchs
Can you name an insect that takes a five-generation round trip up and down North America? Can you name an insect that knows how to make the migration from emerging from its cocoon? The answer is the monarch butterfly. This insect is a remarkable, yet fragile, beauty.
The monarch lives all over North America. The North American monarch range spans from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Most monarchs make their homes in forests, prairies, cities, and backyards—that is, as long as there’s milkweed there. The monarch is the state butterfly of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Texas, West Virginia, and Minnesota.
The monarch starts life by hatching from a tiny egg, only laid on the leaf of a milkweed plant. The caterpillar survives solely on water and milkweed leaves. After eating some 20 leaves, the caterpillar pupates. It spins itself a silk cocoon, in which it hides as it transforms into a butterfly. The butterfly’s wings take a minimum time of 30 minutes to dry into place; only then can the butterfly actually fly.
The monarch then takes a very, very long journey around North America. Monarchs in Canada embark on an over-winter journey to Mexico and back. On the way south to Mexico, they rest to reproduce in places that are both natural and artificial, such as south-central California and small islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Then the butterflies spend winter in Mexico; otherwise they’d be freezing to death in Canadian snowstorms. Then they fly north, back to Canada. They nest and reproduce along the way, just as they do on the flight south. Finally, after a five-generation trip, the monarchs find themselves back in Canada.
Monarchs seem carefree, like their world is completely peaceful. However, they’re actually threatened. Milkweed plants are becoming more uncommon by the year. Milkweed is removed by humans to make way for crops, buildings, and roads. Also, climate change and extreme weather is causing monarchs to either get overheated of freeze to death on the long trip around North America. Monarchs are mostly dying of consumption of insecticides sprinkled on crops and other plants.
However, there are ways in which you can help the monarchs to survive.
1.Plant milkweed plants, so the monarch caterpillars can grow and survive.
2.Plant wildflowers, such as marigolds, nasturtiums, zinnias, clover, lavender, thistle, and violets. That way, the adult monarchs can pollinate and eat nectar.
3.Dig a pond in your yard, so the monarchs can avoid dehydration. If you live in an apartment building or don’t want to have a hole of water on your property, you can just fill a dish with water and put it outside.
Although some things threaten the monarchs’ survival, they are continuing to persist on making the cross-country journey. Through every five generations, the monarchs can return home and live out their lives in peace in the wild.
Citations:
“Monarch Butterfly.” Enchanted Learning.com. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/species/monarch.shtml>.
“Monarch Facts.” Live Monarch Foundation. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. . <www.livemonarch.com/monarch-facts.htm>