Butterfly monarch: developmental features and habitat

A bright, noticeable butterfly with orange wings and dark veins on them is a monarch butterfly. Living in North America, these fragile creatures are able to migrate to the Canary Islands, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand during the migration period. They perfectly feel in any territory with a warm, humid climate.

Butterfly monarch got its name for the appearance, which resembles a mantle, as well as for impressive dimensions. The wingspan of this insect reaches 100 mm. In this case, the females are much smaller, but they look just as impressive. You can distinguish a male from her at first sight by a dark spot on the lower wing in the center of the black "vein".

Such a bright color is needed by butterflies to scare off enemies. A juicy orange color makes you alert, and white spots along the edges of the wings warn birds that the insect does not taste very much.

For all its splendor the butterfly monarch treats poisonous creatures, but for man it is safe. Even in the caterpillar stage, these insects eat the juice of the spurge plant. The juice of it lasts for a long time in the body of butterflies. For birds, it is terrible for taste, and for some it is poisonous. There have been cases when the most gluttonous birds spit out their prey.

For scientists, the monarch butterfly, whose photo is presented in the article, is of particular interest. Up to now, it has not been clarified how these insects cross huge distances up to 3 thousand km. In order to overwinter, entire colonies leave their habitats and move closer to the equator. According to environmental experts, up to 14 million butterflies fly to Mexico.

Observing the wintering grounds of the colonies is very interesting. Huge congestions of these insects stain trunks and branches of trees, covering everything with a single colored carpet. Monarch - a butterfly, which threatens the extermination of man due to deforestation and those trees where the colony winter. The insect is listed in the International Red Book. As a result of human activity, many places beloved by butterflies become unsuitable for life. With the help of pesticides, people struggle with milk, and as a result, food for the monarch disappears, and with it, and its populations.

Winter monarch butterfly holds motionless, hibernating until the spring. In spring, the main event in the life of adult individuals occurs - they mate, lay eggs and die. After 3-4 days from the eggs hatch caterpillars. At the same time, they are so small that they are difficult to notice with the naked eye. Gluttonous caterpillars begin to grow intensively. They absorb the leaves of the milkweed all day. Soon the future butterflies grow into huge caterpillars of black and yellow color. This coloring signals to the enemies that a bitter poison is contained inside the body. Two weeks later the caterpillar turns into a pupa. In two weeks the pupa transforms under the influence of hormones into a beautiful insect. Having freed from the cocoon, the butterfly is ready to fly to the north to return to the place of its birth by the next winter. Adult individuals do not damage the nature and the person, eating only nectar and pollen of plants.

Unfortunately, the length of the life cycle of these beautiful creatures is scanty by human standards. Those butterflies that were born in early summer, live only 2 months. And those born in the autumn are preparing for the winter, during which they sleep. Consequently, their age is 4-5 months.