Monarch Butterfly
Danaus plexippus
33.4484, -112.074
Field Notes
Description:
4 stages of development : - 1.Egg ;
- 2.Caterpillar ;
- 3.Pupa (The monarch remains in its pupa for about 10 to 14 days. The green cylindrical pupa becomes transparent a day before the adult emerges.) ;
- 4.Adult: (Bright orange with black wing veins and outer margins. The wings have white spots on outer margins, and three orange patches are found near the top of the forewings. The hindwings are very rounded, and they are lighter in color than the forewings. The body is black with white spots);
Habitat:
Milkweed is the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly.
As land is developed and Milkweed populations diminish, the Monarch Butterflies habitat is lost. This means the adult Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on Milkweed and the caterpillars eat the Milkweed leaves. Planting Milkweed in your garden is crucial to making habitat available to Monarch Butterflies in urban areas.
Notes:
Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. In North America they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates both north and south as the birds do on a regular basis. But no single individual makes the entire round trip.
Some organizations, such as the Cape May Bird Observatory, have monarch identification tagging programs. Plastic stickers are placed on the wing of the insect with identification information. Tracking information is used to study the migration patterns of monarchs, including how far and where they fly
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