8 Amazing Facts About The Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies are one of the most famous and studied butterflies in the world, characterized by orange wings with black stripes and white dots, and are native to North and South America, even inhabiting part of Europe and Oceania.

Female monarchs typically lay between 300 and 500 eggs in a period of two to five weeks. Since the caterpillars only eat plants known as milkweed, eggs are laid on their leaves. After a week or two, the larvae turn into adult queen butterflies, whose scientific name is Danaus plexippus. Find out 8 other impressive facts about the monarch butterfly here.

1. The transformation is guided by the season

(Source: Quang Nguyen Vinh / Reproduction)

The life cycle of these butterflies is fascinating and the process of metamorphosis varies with the season. In spring or early summer, reproduction takes place in a few days; However, when they are born in late summer or fall, they begin their journey in search of migration to warmer climates.

2. Baked during the long migration trips

(Source: Alex Guillaume / Reproduction)

To find a warmer climate before winter comesthe monarchs leave their breeding grounds, usually in the northern United States and Canada, and head toward Mexico, migrating over 4,000 km.

3. The sun is one way to direct it

(Source: Jack T/Reproduction)

Their migration can take up to four or five generations before they return to the North and the sun is largely responsible for aiding them in their journeys. In addition, monarch butterflies use the Earth’s magnetic field as a kind of compass to better navigate on cloudy days.

4. Your wing style distinguishes your gender

(Source: Chris Chow / clone)

at monarch butterfly wings She is a spectacle in her own right, but did you know that it is possible to distinguish females from males only by their pattern? That’s simple! Simply look for two dark spots on the hind wings to distinguish them from one another, as males have these markings but females do not.

5. Beat your wings at a slow pace

(Source: Leonardo Jarro / Reproduction)

The curiosity of the wings of these butterflies goes beyond gender discrimination. While butterflies generally beat their wings about 20 times per second, the monarch beats their wings at a slower rate, 5 to 12 times per second.

6. She is poisonous

(Source: Cassidy Muir / Reproduction)

Harmless, but not too much. Monarch butterflies are poisonous and their diet is primarily responsible. They feed on milkweed, which contains milky sap and often toxic compounds that remain in their systems.

7. Your wings are your greatest defense

(Source: Joshua J. Cotten/reproduction)

The diet of these butterflies makes their wings brighter, signaling to predators that they are poisonous and thus turning their wings into their biggest defense mechanism.

8. They are threatened with demise

(Source: Gayatri Malhotra / Reproduction)

Removing milkweed from fields puts their diet at risk. Climate change is also an aggravating factor in the extinction of the monarch butterfly.