Monarch Butterflies

Some monarch butterflies are native to tropical America, where populations breed yearly. Due to their ability to cover great distances, they can occupy various areas.

The monarchs that live in North America are migratory. The caterpillars have a minimal dietary range, feeding almost exclusively on the leaves of a milkweed plant. This serves as their habitat and food, providing them with toxins to protect themselves from predators.

Going through their metamorphosis and becoming butterflies, they can feed on the nectar of various flowers. Butterflies do not have mouths that allow them to bite or chew but instead have a flattened tube-like structure called a proboscis, which they use to drink water or nectar. They roll it up under their jaw when they’re not using it.

If Monarch butterflies hatch in the spring, they live for four to five weeks. Still, if they hatch before the start of fall in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, they can live up to nine months as they are ready to migrate more significantly than any insect. They can fly between 1,200 y 2,800 miles to the mountainous forests of central Mexico, where they arrive in early November. The butterflies hibernate until the end of February or mid-March, when they breed, and the new generation begins its journey north.