Did you know there are about 20,000 butterfly species in the world? Many people have never heard of a "confused cloudy wing" or a "tawny emperor" or a "hickory hairstreak" but most Canadians can identify the beautiful orange and black monarch butterfly.
Monarchs are found throughout Canada but they particularly like Ontario because it's home to so many milkweed plants. The milkweed plays an extremely important role in the monarch's amazing life cycle. In fact, milkweed is the only plant the monarch caterpillar will eat.
There are four stages in the butterfly life cycle:
egg
larva
(the caterpillar stage)
pupa
(the chrysalis stage)
adult butterfly
Photo: Jean Clifford
The female monarch deposits her eggs on the underside of the milkweed plant leaves. In about 5 days, the egg produces a caterpillar (larval stage) and for the next three weeks the caterpillar eats the milkweed plant.
A Poisonous Diet
Milkweed is poisonous to many creatures but not to the monarch. Because it eats a toxic diet, the monarch is toxic to many predators. What a great defense mechanism!
Monarch egg and caterpillar feeding on a milkweed leaf
Photo: John Owens
As the caterpillar eats, it grows bigger and bigger and eventually enters the pupal or chrysalis stage. Within about 2 weeks a beautiful butterfly emerges from its cocoon. The adult butterfly feeds off nectar from flowers on the milkweed and other flowering plants.
Strange but True
Can you imagine tasting your food with your feet? Well butterflies do! Their taste sensors are located at the bottom of their long, thin legs.
Most adult monarchs only live 4 - 5 weeks but those hatched from the chrysalis in the early fall have a much longer adult life - of up to 8 or 9 months! Why do they live so much longer than other monarchs? They are the ones that must migrate to a warmer climate for the winter.
A Winter Vacation in Mexico
The monarch is believed to be the only insect capable of making such a long journey. Monarchs have the ability to glide on air currents as much as 1 km (0.6 mi) above the earth. In Mexico, millions of them have been found sheltering in less than 2 hectares (5 acres).
They hang on tree branches and "hibernate" for the winter. They don't eat or mate during hibernation.
A swarm of monarchs in the Mexican fir forest
Photo: Sonia Carolina
On their way north in the spring they lay eggs and the newly emerged butterflies eventually make their way back to eastern Canada.
Did you know there are about 20,000 butterfly species in the world? Butterflies are found on every continent – except Antarctica.
Why Are Monarchs Disappearing?
Recently scientists have noticed that the number of monarchs has been declining every year. Monarchs are now listed for "special concern" on the list of species at risk in Ontario and nationally. One cause is that the milkweed is being destroyed with herbicides. Farmers often kill the plant because it can be harmful to farm animals. Another reason for the decline of the monarch is illegal logging of fir forests in Mexico. The Mexican government is attempting to control this by creating monarch butterfly sanctuaries. Several locations in southern Ontario have also been designated as reserves.
Get the Facts
Monarch Butterfly
Scientific name: Danaus plexippus
Average wingspan: 93 to 105 mm (3.6 – 4.1 in)
Average lifespan: About 1 month from egg to chrysalis; 4 to 5 weeks for adult monarchs hatched from the chrysalis in summer; 6 to 8 months for monarchs hatched in the fall. These are the monarchs that migrate to Mexico.
Appearance: Bright orange upper wing, paler orange underside. Females have darker wing veins. Male monarchs have a black spot on a vein in each of the hind wings. Males are a little larger than females.
See the difference.
Food: Caterpillars eat milkweed. Butterflies sip nectar from wildflowers, water and fruit juices with a proboscis which curls up when not it use. They eat nothing for the months they're in Mexico.
Breeding: Female monarchs can lay as many as 400 eggs in their lifetime.
Migration: Monarchs make the longest migration of any insect. A trip to Mexico from eastern Canada is up to 4500 km (2800 mi). They can find the same place in Mexico each year without ever having been there before.
A Monarch Mimic
The viceroy butterfly looks almost identical to the monarch, except for a black line across the bottom of its hind wings. By mimicking the monarch, the Viceroy fools its predators into believing that it is also poisonous.
Viceroy Butterfly
Photo: Piccolo Namek
What Ever Happened to the Karner Blue?
The last karner blue was seen in Ontario in 1991.This beautiful little butterfly is now considered "extirpated" in Canada. Extirpated means that the species no longer exists in the wild in a given region – but can be found in other regions. The karner blue needs the wild lupine plant to survive. Conservation efforts are focused on restoring the wild lupine's habitat. The Toronto Zoo has a population of karner blue that they plan to release once the lupine's habitat is restored.
The karner blue has a very short life in the wild – about 5 days.
Did You Know?
During World War II, the fluff from milkweed pods was collected and used to stuff lifejackets.
Milkweed seed fluff
Photo: Harry Alverson
Common Milkweed
Stewardship Rangers
Ontario has a cool summer program for teens who love the outdoors and think they might like a career working in the natural resources field. Ontario Stewardship Rangers (OSR) work for 8 weeks on a variety of environmental projects in their local communities. The projects include activities such as restoring habitat for species at risk, removing invasive plant species, building fish spawning beds, and clearing hiking trails. What better way to try on a variety of outdoor experiences and discover what field you might want to study further. Learn more about the OSR program here.
Species at Risk Youth Camp
Youth Helping Species at Risk at Ranger Camp
Photo: Bronwen Buck, Carolinian Canada Coalition
For the past two summers, students involved in the OSR program in southwestern Ontario have had an opportunity to attend a special two-day youth training camp about species at risk. The teens receive live demonstrations with species such as snakes and raptors and have a chance to talk about issues with conservation experts. During interpretive hikes they can see the kinds of habitat different species prefer, learn about the threats to species and their habitats and find out what they can do to help. The students can then take back what they learn and apply it in their own communities. Read more about Species at Risk Youth Camp here.
To learn more about species "at risk" in Ontario, check out the MNR website.
