Butterflies

The monarch butterfly's scientific name is Danaus Plexippus. In Italian, this means "Sleepy Transformation.” Monarchs are especially noted for their long migration south. This takes place during August and the first frost. Northern migration is done in the spring. These butterflies are one of the only butterflies that can fly transatlantic. They are also cold blooded.

Most monarch butterflies have a life span of two to four weeks in length. The female monarch lays eggs on the underside of the milkweed plants to protect them from prey, such as birds and lizards. They first hatch into a larva state. The caterpillars then eat the egg cases and feed on milkweed, storing fat to be used during the non-feeding pupa stage. The butterfly will spin a silk cocoon which lasts two weeks. The day before it hatches, the black and orange wings are visible. It hangs there for several hours until its wings dry. Monarch butterflies are poisonous. This is because they eat the milkweed. Other types of insects naturally understand they are poisonous and leave them alone.

In 1990, it was nominated as the United States national insect. The way you can tell the difference between male and female monarchs is that there will be a tiny thickening or black "dot" on the bottom of the male’s wings. The females do not have this. When the monarchs are at the caterpillar stage, you can also pick out which is male and female, as the female caterpillar is much larger then the male.