Now that we are fully into summer, you have probably noticed an abundance of blooming flowers and the butterflies that visit them. Have you ever wondered where butterflies come from and why they need flowers? Certain flowers and butterflies play a huge part in the food chain. The monarch is a popular butterfly that actually needs some help from humans.
All butterflies start their lives as eggs. Monarch butterflies lay eggs on a plant called milkweed and a caterpillar emerges after four days and begins to eat the milkweed. This is why monarch caterpillars and adults taste yucky to predators, such as birds. The fluid found in the milkweed plant is white (hence the name) and has a very bitter taste. However, some predators will still make a meal out of this insect.
After about two weeks as a caterpillar, it creates a silk pad on a leaf or branch that it attaches itself to with special hooks, hanging upside down out of the sight of predators. The caterpillar’s skin then sheds to reveal a chrysalis underneath. The chrysalis starts off soft but soon hardens up to create a shell to protect the developing butterfly. After ten days of development, a butterfly emerges and hangs there for hours to dry out its wings.
Monarchs have a few different generations born throughout the year. The generation born in September makes the migration to Mexico to wait out the cold winter months. After laying eggs in the spring, they die but pass on the next generation that makes the migration back to the north. However, monarch populations have declined in recent years due to milkweed habitat loss. Want to know what you can do? Plant milkweed! Your very own backyard can become an oasis for monarchs and other butterflies. The milkweed they like best is butterfly milkweed and common milkweed. There are about 100 species of milkweed in North America, but not all are used by monarchs so make sure to plant the correct milkweed species.
The butterfly house is open at Wildlife Prairie Park, and in it you will see many spicebush swallowtails. This is the butterfly we are raising this year because the monarchs we had last year carried a disease that we did not want to spread. We are making sure to get rid of this disease before putting monarchs back in the house. Hopefully they will be back next year! You can still see the stages of butterfly development and the flowers they need in the Kim St John Butterfly Habitat.
The butterfly house is open at Wildlife Prairie Park, and in it you will see many spicebush swallowtails. This is the butterfly we are raising this year because the monarchs we had last year carried a disease that we did not want to spread. We are making sure to get rid of this disease before putting monarchs back in the house. Hopefully they will be back next year! You can still see the stages of butterfly development and the flowers they need in the Kim St John Butterfly Habitat.
