You may have seen these beautiful little butterflies fluttering around. This is a monarch butterfly. They are an endangered species, but they are pretty amazing. In their caterpillar stage, they eat a plant called milkweed which is poisonous to any other animal. When the plant is injured, it releases this sticky, white substance which is what contains the toxins that are harmful to everything but the monarch butterfly. When the caterpillar eats the leaves from the plant, it ingests that toxin and, in turn, becomes poisonous itself. The monarch butterfly migrates annually from North America to Mexico. It takes about four generations before the migration is complete.
Monarch Egg (Photo Source)
Monarch caterpillar (Photo by TheLexingtonTimes)
Monarch caterpillars are easy to identify because of their bright yellow, black and white stripes. In nature, bright colors mean that the animal or plant is poisonous. Basically, bright colors mean “Don’t eat me!”. They also look like they have two faces. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell which end is which, but I have found that the face is on the end with the longer black filaments or whiskers.
I really enjoy watching them transition through all of their life cycles. It’s funny how something can start out the size of pin head and grow to be four inches in size. That may not be big to us but getting that big requires so much effort. Not all caterpillars survive. Some don’t hatch out of the egg, some don’t get the nutrients they need to grow completely and die, and some are just unlucky. They grow pretty fast once though. Once they hatch, they eat their eggshell to get the boost of nutrients they need and then they begin snacking on the milkweed leaves.
Newly hatched monarch caterpillar
They may not look like much when they first hatch, but they are not that way for long. They grow from less than 1 centimeter to 5 centimeters in five days or less. Once they have eaten all they can and grown, they find a safe place to metamorphosis into a chrysalis. Once they have picked a spot, they will hang upside down in the shape of a J from a piece of silk. They can hang like this for 8 hours before they completely transform.
New chrysalis vs. mature chrysalis
The monarch butterfly chrysalis is bright green with gold dots along the bottom and a black and gold stripe along the top. This stage of the butterfly life cycle lasts for 9 to 14 days. As the butterfly matures in the chrysalis, it darkens. Right before the butterfly emerges, you can see wings and the vibrant colors of the butterfly.
The butterfly will emerge from the bottom of the chrysalis headfirst. Once it gets its front legs out, it will pull itself out of the chrysalis shell. The butterfly will have small, shriveled up wings and a swollen abdomen. The butterfly will hang upside down so that its wings can elongate and dry. Once its wings are dry, the butterfly will begin to flap them in preparation for flight. They are very vulnerable after they hatch so be sure to watch out for them. Once they start flapping their wings, they may fly very short distances and land on the ground so keep an eye out for them.
There are a few ways that you can help the monarch population. Growing milkweed is a very good way to help as it is the host plant for the species. The butterflies need the plant to lay their eggs and feed the caterpillars. Milkweed comes in many different varieties so there is plenty of options for color and size. The thing I have found about milkweed is that once you plant it, you will always have it. New plants will pop up because of how the plant spreads its seeds. The seeds are attached to feather like material that floats in the wind.
Top left: Mexican milkweed. Top right: narrow leaf milkweed. Bottom left: swamp milkweed. Bottom right: butterfly weed
Another way to boost the monarch population is to have plenty of flowering plants in your garden or yard. The butterflies need the nectar to survive. They require nectar to get their nutrients. They will feed on just about anything so you can plant a wide variety. Many home improvement stores have a section of plants that attract butterflies. A plant nursery is also a great way to get good information on what plants will attract and feed butterflies of all kinds. Of course, monarch butterflies will also feed on the flowers of their host plant so having milkweed in your garden is beneficial in many ways.
Newly hatched monarch (Photo Source)
Monarch butterflies are beautiful but endangered so helping them however possible is encouraged. I enjoy watching the butterflies flying around the yard and seeing them laying eggs. The caterpillars are a joy to have in the garden and seeing them grow is a very cool to experience. It is a very fun project to grow milkweed and watch the lifecycle of the monarch happen in front of you. These delicate insects need our help to insure the continuation of the species. Let’s do all we can to protect these delicate, beautiful butterflies.
Cover photo by docentjoyce