Most monarchs call America their home with the majority living east of the Rocky Mountains. During summer, they’re seen more in Canada and in spring, they’re in the south. The monarch’s have amazing capabilities to travel long distances for when they migrate. They travel up to thousands of miles to Mexico during the winter months from going 50-100 miles a day. An estimate about a million butterflies migrate on the mountains of Mexico each year.  They are incredibly intelligent when it comes to migration since they know their directions to places without even going their before. They do this by having an internal compass in their bodies. Their bodies are a beautiful bright orange and black, but they are this way to ward off any predators such as wasps, spiders, or lizards. Also other predators of these butterflies can be birds, toads, and ants. The monarchs as caterpillars are mostly attracted to milkweed for feeding, so wherever there is milkweed, the monarchs are usually there. Milkweed contains a harmful toxin which is not harmful to the monarch, but when the butterfly consumes it, the toxin stays with them after metamorphosis making the butterfly poisonous to predators. When they become adults, they feed on the nectar of flowers. Since the monarch butterfly has been declining by 90 percent from the 1990’s conservationists encourage people to plant more milkweed or nectar plants. 

 

Here is an overview of the beautiful journey that these butterflies take on, gathering in the Oyamel fir forest for the winter in central mexico:

 

 

Citation:

“Basic Facts About Monarch Butterflies.” Defenders of Wildlife, 19 Sept. 2016, defenders.org/monarch-butterfly/basic-facts.

Gomez, Tony, et al. “13 Monarch Predators- Save More Monarch Butterflies.” Monarch Butterfly Garden, 20 Sept. 2018, monarchbutterflygarden.net/stop-monarch-predators/.

“Monarch Butterfly | National Wildlife Federation.” The National Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Monarch-Butterfly.

Image: 

Estrella, Luna. “Monarchs on the move.” ThoughtCo.