Strange but True
The Magical Monarch
Did you know there are about 20,000 butterfly species in the
world? Many people have never heard of a "confused cloudy
wing" or a "tawny emperor" or a "hickory hairstreak" but most
Canadians can identify the beautiful orange and black monarch
butterfly.
Monarchs are found
throughout Canada but they
particularly like Ontario
because it's home to so
many milkweed plants. The
milkweed plays an extremely
important role in the
monarch's amazing life
cycle. In fact, milkweed is the
only plant the monarch
caterpillar will eat.
There are four
stages in the
butterfly life cycle:
1. egg
2. larva (the
caterpillar stage)
3. pupa (the
chrysalis stage)
4. adult butterfly
Photo: Jean Clifford
The female monarch deposits her eggs on the underside of the
milkweed plant leaves. In about 5 days, the egg produces a
caterpillar (larval stage) and for the next three weeks the
caterpillar eats the milkweed plant.
Most adult monarchs only live 4 - 5 weeks but those hatched
from the chrysalis in the early fall have a much longer adult life of up to 8 or 9 months! Why do they live so much longer than
other monarchs? They are the ones that must migrate to a
warmer climate for the winter.
A Winter Vacation in Mexico
The monarch is believed to
be the only insect capable
of making such a long
journey. Monarchs have the
ability to glide on air
currents as much as 1 km
(0.6 mi) above the earth. In
Mexico, millions of them
have been found sheltering
in less than 2 hectares (5
acres). They hang on tree
branches and "hibernate"
for the winter. They don't
eat or mate during
hibernation. On their way
north in the spring they lay
eggs and the newly
A swarm of
Photo:
emerged butterflies
monarchs in the
Sonia
eventually make their way
Mexican fir forest Carolina
back to eastern Canada.
Did you know there are about 20,000 butterfly species in
the world? Butterflies are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Why Are Monarchs Disappearing?
Recently scientists have noticed that the number of monarchs
has been declining every year. Monarchs are now listed for
"special concern" on the list of species at risk in Ontario and
nationally. One cause is that the milkweed is being destroyed
with herbicides. Farmers often kill the plant because it can be
harmful to farm animals. Another reason for the decline of the
monarch is illegal logging of fir forests in Mexico. The Mexican
government is attempting to control this by creating monarch
butterfly sanctuaries. Several locations in southern Ontario have
also been designated as reserves.
A Poisonous Diet
Milkweed is poisonous to many
creatures but not to the monarch.
Because it eats a toxic diet, the
monarch is toxic to many
predators. What a great defense
mechanism!
As the caterpillar eats, it grows
bigger and bigger and eventually
enters the pupal or chrysalis
stage. Within about 2 weeks a
beautiful butterfly emerges from
its cocoon. The adult butterfly
feeds off nectar from flowers on
the milkweed and other flowering
plants.
Can you imagine tasting your food with your feet? Well
butterflies do! Their taste sensors are located at the
bottom of their long, thin legs.
Monarch egg
and caterpillar
feeding on a
milkweed leaf
Photo:
John
Owens
Did You Know?
Get the Facts
Monarch Butterfly
During World War II, the fluff from milkweed pods was collected
and used to stuff lifejackets.
Scientific name: Danaus plexippus
Average wingspan: 93 to 105 mm (3.6 - 4.1 in)
Average lifespan: About 1 month from egg to chrysalis; 4
to 5 weeks for adult monarchs hatched from the chrysalis
in summer; 6 to 8 months for monarchs hatched in the fall.
These are the monarchs that migrate to Mexico.
Appearance: Bright orange upper wing, paler orange
underside. Females have darker wing veins. Male
monarchs have a black spot on a vein in each of the hind
wings. Males are a little larger than females. See the
difference.
Food: Caterpillars eat milkweed. Butterflies sip nectar
from wildflowers, water and fruit juices with a proboscis
which curls up when not it use. They eat nothing for the
months they're in Mexico.
Breeding: Female monarchs can lay as many as 400
eggs in their lifetime.
Migration: Monarchs make the longest migration of any
insect. A trip to Mexico from eastern Canada is up to 4500
km (2800 mi). They can find the same place in Mexico
each year without ever having been there before.
Milkweed
seed fluff
Photo:
Harry
Alverson
Common Milkweed
Stewardship Rangers
Ontario has a cool summer program for teens who love the
outdoors and think they might like a career working in the
natural resources field. Ontario Stewardship Rangers (OSR)
work for 8 weeks on a variety of environmental projects in their
local communities. The projects include activities such as
restoring habitat for species at risk, removing invasive plant
species, building fish spawning beds, and clearing hiking trails.
What better way to try on a variety of outdoor experiences and
discover what field you might want to study further. Learn more
about the OSR program here.
Species at Risk Youth Camp
A Monarch Mimic
The viceroy butterfly looks
almost identical to the
monarch, except for a black
line across the bottom of its
hind wings. By mimicking the
monarch, the Viceroy fools its
predators into believing that it
is also poisonous.
Viceroy
Butterfly
Photo:
Piccolo
Namek
What Ever Happened to the Karner Blue?
The last karner blue was seen in Ontario in 1991.This beautiful
little butterfly is now considered "extirpated" in Canada.
Extirpated means that the species no longer exists in the wild in
a given region - but can be found in other regions. The karner
blue needs the wild lupine plant to survive. Conservation efforts
are focused on restoring the wild lupine's habitat. The Toronto
Zoo has a population of karner blue that they plan to release
once the lupine's habitat is restored.
The karner blue has a very short life in
the wild - about 5 days.
Youth Helping Species at Risk at
Photo: Bronwen Buck,
Ranger Camp
Carolinian Canada Coalition
For the past two summers, students involved in the OSR
program in southwestern Ontario have had an opportunity to
attend a special two-day youth training camp about species at
risk. The teens receive live demonstrations with species such as
snakes and raptors and have a chance to talk about issues with
conservation experts. During interpretive hikes they can see the
kinds of habitat different species prefer, learn about the threats
to species and their habitats and find out what they can do to
help. The students can then take back what they learn and
apply it in their own communities. Read more about Species at
Risk Youth Camp here.
To learn more about species "at risk" in
Ontario, check out the MNR website.
Go to http://www.incredibleworld.ca to find
out more about amazing species and their
habitats.