In the taxon Lepidoptera; Monarch butterflies are loved by humans and other animals. They are pleasant to watch, and sometimes you wish you can float away just like them. These marvelous insects have appeared everywhere from the works of literature to paintings, and their images are designed for ornamental use. These fast developing species live on every continent except for Antarctica. Monarchs try their best to escape winter in the USA, so they would migrate down south or west when fall approaches. Main places of migration include Mexico, and southern California since it is mostly warm throughout the year. They first appeared in North America, then were distributed to South America, the Oceania, and Australia where they were first reported. A cool fact about Monarchs, or butterflies in general is that they drink tears of turtles because it contains sodium, which is a very important nutrient in their diet. When they are not able to get it from anywhere else, this would be their second main source so that they get through the rest of their day like a breeze. Another interesting thing about them is that they do not have lungs so they use tiny vents in the thorax for oxygen distribution. In other words, Monarchs are pretty amazing insects. 

 

Sourced Cites:

“University of Minnesota Monarch Lab.” Monarch Lab, monarchlab.org/biology-and-research/biology-and-natural-history/global-distribution/.

“Monarch Butterfly Migration.” Monarch Butterfly Site: Life Cycle, Migration, Pictures, News, More!, www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-migration.html.

Image:

Thinkstock. “Monarch Butterfly.” EcoWatch, Care2, 2016, https://www.ecowatch.com/10-super-cool-facts-about-butterflies-1891180962.html