| In all the world, no butterflies migrate like | | | | south to a given over-wintering site every |
| the monarchs of North America. They travel up | | | | year. Just like birds, when the monarch |
| to three-thousand miles twice a year: south | | | | senses a change in the weather, they migrate |
| in the fall and north in the spring. To avoid | | | | to a warmer climate. Monarch butterflies |
| the long, cold northern winters, monarchs | | | | that go south do not succeed in returning to |
| west of the Rocky Mountains winter along the | | | | where they were born. Most monarch |
| California coast. Those east of the Rockies | | | | butterflies will die before their migration |
| fly south to the mountain forests of Mexico. | | | | is through. However, as they lay their eggs |
| Unlike migrating birds and whales, however, | | | | along the path of their migration, their |
| individual monarchs only make the round-trip | | | | children, grandchildren and even great |
| once. It is their great-grandchildren that | | | | grandchildren simply carry on where their |
| return south the following fall. | | | | parents left off. |
| | | | |
| The monarch butterfly is sometimes called the | | | | What's even more amazing is that these new |
| "milkweed butterfly" because its larvae are | | | | young monarch butterflies are able to |
| laid on and then upon hatching, eat the | | | | continue in the same direction as their |
| milkweed plant. In fact, milkweed is the only | | | | parent's migrating process without any help |
| thing the larvae can eat. | | | | from their elders. |
| | | | |
| Many people like to attract monarchs by | | | | The monarch butterfly has a puzzling innate |
| making a butterfly garden. If you live in | | | | ability to navigate across continents to find |
| the right area of the country and would like | | | | their winter home. Every year on the flight |
| to attract monarchs to your garden, you can | | | | to and from warmer climates, the monarch's |
| try planting milkweed. Milkweed seed can be | | | | short-lived offspring, with only four or five |
| purchased online if your local nursery or | | | | weeks to live, continue making the northbound |
| home improvement store does not carry it. | | | | or southbound trek over several generations. |
| Many people enjoy raising butterfly gardens | | | | |
| simply for pleasure, and others do it for | | | | Recent deforestation of the monarch's |
| educational or preservation reasons. | | | | over-wintering grounds in Mexico has led to a |
| | | | drastic reduction in the butterfly's |
| Due to the presence of cardenolide aglycones | | | | population (as the butterflies, for whatever |
| in the monarch's body that occurs as a result | | | | reason, always return to the same location |
| of feeding on milkweed, the monarch | | | | every season). When their migration |
| butterfly is foul-tasting and poisonous to | | | | destination of milkweed plants is destroyed, |
| most of its predators. In a phenomenon known | | | | they have no place to lay their eggs and |
| as aposematism, monarch butterflies advertise | | | | therefore threatening future butterfly |
| their dangerous nature with bright colors and | | | | generations. Efforts to classify the monarch |
| areas of high contrast on their skin or | | | | butterfly as a protected species and to |
| wings. Many other members of the animal | | | | restore its habitat are under way, and |
| kingdom also advertise their poisonous | | | | experts now are more optimistic about the |
| potential with bright colors. There are, | | | | future of the monarch butterfly. |
| however, also copy-cat insects and animals | | | | |
| that have adapted similar appearances as a | | | | For more about monarch butterflies, with |
| means of protection, but are not poisonous. | | | | links to recommended sites, visit Monarch |
| | | | Butterflies at "Surfing the Net with Kids. |
| Monarchs are unique in that they migrate | | | | |