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