Wonders of Wildlife: Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Scientific Name: Danaus plexippus

Found in Alabama: Statewide

Diet: Herbivore (eats plants)

Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed Flower
USFWS – Justin Fritsche

Learn More About...

Classification

IDENTIFICATION

Adaptations

Life Cycle

Habitat Needs

Ecological Role

CLASSIFICATION

Scientists use basic traits to
group animals into different taxonomic
classes.

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!

What type of animal am I?

I am an invertebrate (an animal without a spine or backbone).
I am cold-blooded, so I cannot control my body temperature.
I have a stiff covering on the outside of my body called an exoskeleton.
I breathe through small holes in my abdomen called spiracles.
I have six legs.
I have wings.

The Monarch Butterfly is an INSECT!

IDENTIFICATION TIPS

ADULT BUTTERFLY

Wingspan ranges from 3 – 5 inches
Bright orange with black borders
White spots along the edges of the wings

Monarch Butterfly on Clover
Wikipedia – Kenneth Dwain Harrelson

FEMALE

Thicker black veins on wings
Do not have a small black spot on the top surface of the hindwing

Image courtesy of www.MonarchWatch.org.

Image courtesy of www.Monarch
Watch.org.

MALE

Thinner black veins on wings
Have two small black spots on the center of the top surface of the hindwing
These spots are scent glands that help males attract female mates

EGGS

About the size of a pinhead
Creamy white or yellow in color

Monarch Egg
Journey North – Linda Gibson

CATERPILLAR LARVAE

Up to 2 inches in length
Yellow, black, and white bands

Monarch Caterpillar
Alabama Butterfly Atlas

CHRYSALIS

Bright sea green
Thin gold strand around edge

Monarch Chrysalis
Butterflies of Alabama – Sara Bright

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS

Monarchs use the milkweed toxin as a defense from predators:

Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed – a wildflower that contains toxins (chemical poisons produced by living organisms).
They are able to digest milkweed without getting sick.
Monarch caterpillars and butterflies store the toxin in their bodies as a defense against predators (animals that eat them).
Predators learn to avoid eating bright orange butterflies and black, yellow, and white striped caterpillars to avoid the toxin.

Monarchs have long straw-like mouthparts to collect nectar from flowers:

All butterflies and moths, including monarchs, have a long straw-shaped mouthpart (similar to a tongue) called a proboscis that they use to collect nectar from flowers.
The proboscis has two long tubes (like straws) that soak up the nectar deep inside the flower, and then the nectar travels up through the tubes for the butterfly to drink it.
When the proboscis is not in use, it curls up tightly against the front of the head of the butterfly.
To see how a proboscis works and to learn why scientists are studying the proboscis, watch Science Nation’s 3-minute video.

Butterflies have compound eyes:

Butterfly vision is completely different than human vision.
While humans have the ability to focus on something far away and can see fine details, a butterfly’s vision appears blurry to them because they have compound eyes (many individual lenses that combine to form one image).
Butterflies have special structures that allow them to see different types of light than humans, helping them locate flowers and communicate with each other.
They are also able to see a more wide view around them rather than just in front of them, allowing them to detect and escape any threats.

BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

Monarchs are diurnal:

They are active during the day (diurnal).

Monarchs migrate between the U.S. & Mexico:

Monarch butterflies breed in the U.S. and parts of Southern Canada during the spring and summer.
They cannot tolerate colder weather, so they migrate (move in large groups from one location to another) south to Mexico for the winter months.
In the spring, they return to the U.S. in search of milkweed on which to lay their eggs.

Monarch butterflies lay their eggs (on left) in the U.S.
Butterflies of Alabama – Sara Bright

Monarchs roost in mountains in Mexico during the winter
USFWS – Ryan Hagerty

LIFE CYCLE

Stages of a Monarch’s Life Cycle
USFWS – Courtney Celley, Tina Shaw, & Joanna Gilkeson

Metamorphosis is the process of physical change that some animals go through as they transform from a larvae into an adult.

Four Life Cycle Stages of the American Bullfrog

Stage 1: Egg

Females lay a single hard-shelled egg at a time on the underside of a milkweed leaf.
A tiny caterpillar (larvae) hatches from its egg about four days later.

Stage 2: Larvae

The baby caterpillar spends 10-14 days eating milkweed and growing.
When it becomes too large for its skin, it molts (sheds its skin).
The intervals between molts are called instars.
Monarchs go through five instars.

Stage 3: Pupa

When it is fully grown, the caterpillar hangs upside down in a J-shape, its skin splits, and the green chrysalis (butterfly pupa enclosed in a protective covering) forms.
Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (physical change from larva to adults) in about 8-12 days.

Stage 4: Adult

The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, and then waits to allow its wings to inflate and dry before it flies away.

Lifespan

Most generations of monarch butterflies live only a few weeks as they search for nectar and milkweed on which to lay their eggs.
Individuals of the last generation can live for up to 8 months as an adult as they complete the migration south in the winter and then north in the spring.

HABITAT NEEDS

Natural Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Adults feed on nectar from native wildflowers. They prefer flowers that are clustered and bright in color and that have space for the butterfly to land.	The caterpillars feed only on milkweed, their host plant.
Water	Butterflies will obtain hydration from nectar. They will also drink from puddles or mud.	The young obtain hydration from the milkweed leaves and stems on which they feed.
Shelter	They prefer sunny, open, well-drained habitats that support nectar producing plants. In the winter, they roost (rest) on fir trees in Mexico’s mountains.	Eggs are deposited on the underside of milkweed leaves. Caterpillars remain on the milkweed plant until metamorphosis (physical change from larva to adult). Chrysalises (butterfly pupa enclosed in a protective covering) hang from well-covered areas within plants.
Places to Raise Young	Lay eggs on milkweed – the monarch’s host plant. Adults do not raise the young. Milkweed provides a food source for the caterpillars as soon as they hatch.

If you want to offer resources in your backyard habitat for this species, consider the suggestions below.

Backyard Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Plant native nectar-producing plants such as goldenrods, asters, mistflower, and ironweeds.	Plant or garden with milkweed, the host plant.
Water	Plant or garden with nectar-producing plants. Add shallow puddling stations or a small pond.
Shelter	Plant native plants or shrubs that provide a good amount of leaves where they can take shelter.
Places to Raise Young	Plant or garden with milkweed, the host plant, on which the females can lay their eggs.

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Animals play an important ecological role in the health of habitats and ecosystems.

Food Source:

Small monarch caterpillars are commonly eaten by ants, mantids, and spiders.
Some songbirds that have developed a tolerance to the milkweed toxin (chemical poison produced by living organisms) eat large caterpillars and adult monarch butterflies.
Most birds that catch a monarch will vomit due to their toxins.

Pollinator:

Adult monarch butterflies serve as pollinators (animals that move pollen, the powdery yellow substance found in flowers, from one plant to another) for native wildflowers by transferring pollen among flowers while they are foraging (searching) for nect

Conservation Ambassador:

Monarchs are an iconic species, recognized by many people, because of the highly publicized decline in their population due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
The monarch butterfly can be considered an ambassador for its preferred habitat, as protecting the monarch and its habitat will also protect many other species that may be less recognizable.

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