The 2,500 Mile Monarch Butterfly Migration
The sight of hundreds of monarch butterflies flying high under the vast blue sky is really awesome. Very few are blessed to see such a beautiful sight. It is very difficult for the monarch butterflies to survive the cold winters of most of the United States. During the winter times, they migrate south and west each autumn to survive the cold. Let us see some of the amazing pictures of their migration.
Monarch butterflies are the only insect to travel thousands of miles from the cooler north to the warmth of southern regions to survive the winter. They travel approximately 2,500 miles to get out of the cold weather.
Another amazing thing about their migration is that they have to wait four generations to make the trip because the first three generations die after about six weeks from escaping their cocoons.
The monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico and some parts of Southern California because these parts will be warmer all year long.
Monarch butterflies migrate by the millions. As many as 300 million monarchs will migrate at a time.
Monarch butterflies are the most colorful and most beautiful of all butterflies.
Even though, they are poisonous, they won’t harm humans.
They eat the poisonous milkweed plant and the poison build up inside and help them to defense against predators like frogs, birds, mice and lizards.
The monarch butterfly is now on the verge of extinction. The trees which they spend on winter months are cut down.
They loose their habitat and are exposed to cold weather. This could kill them in large numbers.
There are efforts underway to create more sanctuaries for migrating monarchs as well as to list them as a protected species.
Butterflies eclose from CHRYSALIDES not COCOONS.