Monarch butterfly
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\nThe
Monarch butterfly (
Danaus plexippus) is a well-known North American
butterfly. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern.
The butterfly is especially noted for its lengthy annual migration. Monarch butterflies make massive southward migrations during August through October. A northward migration takes place in the Spring. Female Monarch butterflies deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations. The population east of the
Rocky Mountains overwinters in
Mexico, and the Western population overwinters in various sites in central coastal
California, notably in
Pacific Grove, California and
Santa Cruz, California. The length of these journeys far exceeds the lifetime of any given butterfly. How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations remains a mystery.
This is one of the few insects to manage transatlantic crossings. A few Monarchs turn up in the far southwest of
Great Britain in any year when the wind conditions are right.
The life cycle of a Monarch butterfly includes a complete change of form called complete metamorphosis. This process goes through four radically different stages. \nFirst, as mentioned above, the eggs are laid by the females during migration.\nSecond, the eggs hatch, revealing a worm-like larva, (or caterpillar). The caterpillars consume their egg case, then feed on
milkweed, and sequester substances called cardenolides, related to the cardiac glycoside
digitalis. The amount accumulated depends on the level present in the milkweed. This accumulation makes the adult butterfly distasteful and poisonous to Blue Jays and other would-be predators, and many such animals avoid consuming it. This defense is shared by the similarly distasteful (and similar-appearing) viceroy, in an example of
Mullerian mimicry.
During the caterpillar stage, the Monarchs store energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry them through the non-feeding pupa stage.\nThe third stage is the
pupa, or
chrysalis. The caterpillar attaches itself to a lump of material secreted on a twig or leaf. It hangs upside down in the shape of a 'J', and then molts, leaving itself encased in an articulated green exoskeleton. At this point, hormonal changes occur, leading to the development of a butterfly. Fourth, the mature butterfly emerges after about two weeks.
The species was described by
Carolus Linnaeus in
1758.
The monarch butterfly is the state insect of
Texas and the state butterfly of
Minnesota.
