Are monarch butterflies common?
Monarch butterflies are the most common butterflies in the world; they are most seen, especially during April-June, they are found throughout North America and to a lesser extent in South America.
These large butterflies have been observed to travel up to 3,000 miles during their migration. Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed leaves exclusively until they are ready to form chrysalises. This milkweed makes the monarch caterpillar toxic to predators like birds. The butterfly’s bright colors act as a warning to predators that eating is not good.
Where are monarch butterflies most common?
The Monarch butterfly is mostly found in North America, from Canada in the North, to the Caribbean in the South, and some Pacific Islands as well. It is found on the East coast of the Rocy Mountains and cannot be found in some places in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Monarch butterflies that live east of the Rocky Mountains spend the winter in Mexico. They migrate to where they will not be killed by colder temperatures, usually up to 2,500 miles (4,000 km). The Monarchs that live west of the Rocy Mountains stay at their summer homes for the winter. They do not migrate because it does not get cold enough for them to die.
Males and females breed in February or March. Females lay their eggs on milkweed plants; this is what their caterpillars eat when they hatch about four days later. When a caterpillar is grown, it forms a shell called the chrysalis; this is what butterflies form from when they are fully grown from a caterpillar.
What’s happening to the monarch butterfly population?
Monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable, ecologically important, and beloved insects in North America. They migrate miles each year between breeding grounds in the United States and Mexico and overwintering sites along the California coast.
Unfortunately, western monarch populations are at critically low levels due to increased housing in their habitat and increased pesticide use. Scientists have noted that genetically distinct western monarchs have declined by 99% over the past two decades. Between 1997-2017, the number of western monarchs that migrated to overwintering grounds dropped from 10 million to fewer than 30,000 butterflies.
How many Monarch butterflies exist in this world?
The University of Michigan’s annual count of overwintering monarch butterflies found fewer than 2,000 of the orange-and-black butterflies clustered on their mountaintop forest refuge in Mexico.
Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, are among the most common butterflies found in North America. Their dark wings, marked with orange and white spots, are seen throughout April, May, and June, depending on the climate.
The monarch butterfly population is scattered throughout Canada and the United States, living in both deciduous and coniferous forests and agricultural lands.
