The monarch is one of the most famous butterflies of North America. They are easy to recognize by the characteristic pattern on the wings: black stripes on a red background. Butterflies Monarchs are kings in the world of butterflies with a wingspan of up to 10 cm. They can make migrations for thousands of kilometers, precisely reaching those places that have not been seen before.
Photographer Greg Lovett captures the amazing story of the birth of a monarch butterfly.
Monarch Butterfly is an insect symbol of some US states.
At the end of the last century, It was even nominated for the title of National Insect of America in 1990, but did not receive the approval of lawmakers.
Life cycle of Monarch Butterfly
This occurs in spring or summer. One egg weighs about 0.46 milligrams at a size of 1 mm in height: So, let's begin. The main "tool" for the appearance of a monarch’s butterfly is a plant such as a quack.
The female Monarchs butterfly lays between 300 and 500 eggs over a two- to five-week period individually on the leaf of a milkweed plant.
The caterpillar is born within 3-4 days, first eating the shell of the egg, and then moving to the quail.
Monarch Butterfly Birth
The caterpillar lives about two weeks:
During this time, The caterpillar is born within 3-4 days, first eating the shell of the egg, and then moving to the quail.
Butterfly monarchs are poisonous and disgusting to the birds because of the plant - a quacket that secures poisonous juice and which is eaten by caterpillars. The fact that the caterpillars are poisonous is evidenced by their bright colors:
The chemicals that the caterpillars consume from the quail, protect them from attacks on life in the face of predators: frogs, lizards, birds, etc.
If you want to attract the attention of the monarchs, you will need more than one bush of a quack in the yard.
Caterpillars eat leaf leaves at great speed, and soon only stems remain from the poisonous plant:
The pupa stage | The caterpillar is looking for a branch, leaf or any other protective surface to attach to it which is also called "chrysalis."
Then its wraps silk with a twig or leaf and hangs her head in the shape of the letter “J”: is common for caterpillars before molting.
The caterpillar molts and turns into a cocoon:
Molting is accompanied by the creation of a green exoskeleton. This moment is a metamorphosis, during which hormonal changes occur, leading to the development of the butterfly. Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar tissue breaks up and it is transformed into an adult butterfly:
The pupa darkens and becomes transparent on the day the butterfly appears. Its black and orange wings can be seen now: At this moment, the very unique metamorphosis occurs, accompanied by hormonal changes that will lead to the appearance of a butterfly.
After about 2 weeks, the butterfly appears from the cocoon. Its hangs over the remains of the chrysalis for several hours to spread its dry wings. Most often this happens in the morning: The pupa begins to darken, and the exoskeleton becomes transparent.
Mature butterflies appear approximately two weeks. The wings are filled with fluid that straightens the folds until the wings become full and stiff:
After being released from the “fetters,” the butterfly hangs for several hours, waiting for the wings to be ready. While it hangs, the corrugated wings fill with fluid and become dense. Having freed itself from the chrysalis and in afternoon, making sure that the wings have become strong enough, the butterflies go on their first flight in search of food sources:
Adult butterflies (adults) can live from two to eight weeks.
Then comes the 2nd great miracle in the life of monarchs - migration.
Most monarch butterflies in North America migrate in the fall to western Mexico City in the fall. This trip can last up to 3 months. But this is a completely different story ...
Where Monarch Butterflies are found?
Not only found in South America, monarchs butterflies are divded into 2 groups in North America. The Western monarchs they breed in winters of southern California in the west of Rocky hills and eastern monachs they breed in winters of Great plains, Canada and in Central Mexico. Also found in there populations in Hawaii; Portugal and Spain; and Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere in Oceania. [NatGeo]
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