Monarch Butterflies Matter

Monarch Butterflies Matter — page 3

Monarch Butterflies Matter — page 4 — CHAPTER ONE AN AMAZING JOURNEY It is a sunny late-August morning in northern Minnesota A bright orange and black butterfly glides from flower to flower It is a monarch butterfly searching for nectar to drink The nectar will help give the butterfly energy to survive the coming winter Soon the butterfly will join millions of other monarchs on an amazing journey They will travel to Mexico Monarchs suck up nectar with their tongues which act like straws 5

Monarch Butterflies Matter — page 5 — migration route N Migration Routes The monarch butterfly has one of the longest known migrations of any insect Over what parts of the United States do most of these butterflies fly Why do you think different populations go to different areas almost 2,500 miles 4,230 km away In spring new monarchs will return north In the central and eastern United States and Canada the cooler shorter days of fall signal to monarchs it is time to fly south Monarchs cannot live through the North’s harsh winters Flowers cannot 6

Monarch Butterflies Matter — page 6 — survive through cold winters either Monarchs depend on the nectar from flowers for survival So the butterflies fly an average of 30 to 50 miles 48 75 km each day in search of warmer weather They rest at night gathered in clusters During the trip the butterflies must avoid predators while finding food and shelter The monarchs have not made this journey before They use signs from nature to find their way On sunny days the butterflies use the position of the sun to point themselves southward When it is cloudy they depend on special sensors These sensors detect Earth’s magnetic field The monarchs can use the field to turn themselves in the right direction Becoming a Butterfly A monarch begins life as a tiny egg stuck to the leaf of a milkweed plant After approximately four days the egg hatches into a green caterpillar Now it must eat eat eat The larva’s first meal is its own egg case 7

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