Monarch Butterflies
Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about monarch butterflies. Monarchs are unusual in the butterfly world for several reasons, they are one of a few migrating butterflies, and the males and females can be distinguished visually.
Monarchs spend the summer in the United States where there are three to four generations per summer. Then a “super-generation” lives about 6 months and migrates to central Mexico for the winter. Monarchs follow the growth of milkweed north the next spring up to about the Canadian border – which is the northern limit of milkweed.
Female monarch butterflies can lay 200-300 eggs which are laid one per milkweed leaf. The egg hatches a few days later. The caterpillar then eats and grows to about 2000 times its hatching size over the next two weeks. At this point they create a chrysalis that is green with gold accents. They emerge from the chrysalis after 9-14 days as an adult butterfly.
Planting milkweed attracts monarch butterflies to your yard. The caterpillars eat the leaves and the adults drink the nectar from flowers. There are many kinds of milkweed available. They tend to grow in full sun and can reach up to five feet in height.
June 18, 2016
Related Resources:
Growing milkweeds for monarch butterflies
Gardening for Monarchs
Attracting Butterflies to the Garden
Monarchs spend the summer in the United States where there are three to four generations per summer. Then a “super-generation” lives about 6 months and migrates to central Mexico for the winter. Monarchs follow the growth of milkweed north the next spring up to about the Canadian border – which is the northern limit of milkweed.
Female monarch butterflies can lay 200-300 eggs which are laid one per milkweed leaf. The egg hatches a few days later. The caterpillar then eats and grows to about 2000 times its hatching size over the next two weeks. At this point they create a chrysalis that is green with gold accents. They emerge from the chrysalis after 9-14 days as an adult butterfly.
Planting milkweed attracts monarch butterflies to your yard. The caterpillars eat the leaves and the adults drink the nectar from flowers. There are many kinds of milkweed available. They tend to grow in full sun and can reach up to five feet in height.
June 18, 2016
Related Resources:
Growing milkweeds for monarch butterflies
Gardening for Monarchs
Attracting Butterflies to the Garden