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  • Home
  • About iDigBio and the AR Collection Card Project
  • ARPEO Project
  • PROJECT REPORT 2022
  • Macrofungi: The Daisy Earthstar
    • New England Vascular Plants: The Cardinal Flower
    • Take a Closer Look: Reindeer moss
    • Take a Closer Look: Daisy Earthstars
  • The Consortia of North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Greygreen Reindeer Lichen
    • Keys to the Cabinet: SE Plants: The White-topped Pitcher Plant
  • Invertnet Collection Network: The Thorn Bug
    • Take a Closer Look: Thorn Bug Treehopper
  • Paleoniches: Brachiopods
  • Ammonite
  • iDigBio: Channel Catfish
  • Great Lakes Invasive Network: Zebra mussel
  • Tri-Trophic Thematic Collection Network: Stink Bug Parasitoid
  • Macroalgal: Elk Kelp
  • Insect Fossils: Tsetse Fly
  • SCAN: Earth-boring Scarab Beetle
  • InvertEBase: Carolina Mantis
  • EPICC: Fossil Crab
  • Animal Communication: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Poweshiek Skipperling
  • RINGTAIL
  • Tarantula Hawk
    • Take a Closer Look: at the Tarantula Hawk
  • Sonoran Mantid
  • California Leaf-nosed Bat
    • Take a Closer Look: Bat Wings
  • Pipevine Swallowtail
    • Plants to attract Pipevine Swallowtails
  • Desert Hairy Scorpion
  • Gila Monster
  • Ocotillo
  • California Poppy
  • Anna's hummingbird
    • Plants to attract Hummingbirds
  • Monarch
    • Plants to attract Monarchs
  • Bumblebee
    • Plants to Attract Bumblebees
  • White-nosed coati
  • Asian Long-horned beetle
    • ALB Life Cycle
  • Learning Resources
    • Latitude and Longitude Game
  • Special Thanks
  • Give Us Your Feedback!
  • Contact Us
  • Specimen Cards
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TEST page
  • Human Evolution lab
  • Skull 8

monarch: Did you know?

Picture
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD CARD
Monarch  

PicturePhoto by Steve Plath



​ The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly in the family   Nymphalidiae.   They are easy to recognize by their orange, black, and white markings.   They are found   throughout the United States, as well as Mexico and Canada. During the   fall months, monarchs   make the 3000 mile journey to their wintering grounds in Mexico   
​or southern California.   Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweeds (Asclepias   sp.). These milkweeds have a   toxin that monarch caterpillars ingest and store in their   bodies. The monarch’s bright colors  tells predators: “Don’t eat me. I am poisonous!” In   
the last 20 years the population of monarch   butterflies has declined by 90%.

Click HERE to learn about what plants attract monarch butterflies.



PicturePhoto by Clara Gauna
​

​Female monarchs deposit eggs on milkweed plants. These tiny, round eggs hatch into small green and white striped caterpillars. The caterpillars will feed on the milkweed for about two weeks and shed their skin several times to help them grow. Once they are large enough they are ready to transform into pupae (chrysalis). The caterpillar attaches itself to a leaf or branch with silk, then sheds its skin to form a hard shell. The chrysalis starts out green with golden dots. Then slowly it turns white, then see-through. After about 10-15 days, a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. 
​

                                   Male Monarch                                                                                                                Female Monarch
Picture
Picture Photo by Jim Burns jimburnsphotos.com
        

Similar Butterflies
Queen (Danaus gilippus)                                                                                                    Vicerory (Limenitis archippus)
Picture
Image by Clara Gauna
Picture
Image by Clara Gauna
Picture
Map source: Xerces Society https://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MonarchMap-NatureServe-10.20.png
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