Monarch Butterfly | NEW ENGLAND GARDEN CLUBS

The Monarch Butterfly is the only butterfly that migrates! As the weather gets colder, monarchs begin their annual migration. Tens of millions of these butterflies spend the winter in a mountain forest in Central Mexico. Monarchs sometimes cover whole trees of eucalyptus and pine groves. In the spring they will make the long journey back north, and lay eggs along the way. When these eggs hatch into caterpillars, the whole cycle starts over again.

The monarch butterfly is a large, beautifully colored butterfly that is easy to recognize by its striking, orange, black and white markings
Monarch butterflies live in North, Central and South America, as well as Australia, some Pacific Islands, Western Europe, India and the Caribbean
Monarchs will lay only their eggs on the undersides of milkweed leaves
Newly hatched monarch caterpillars
Monarch butterflies eat only milkweed leaves
The milkweed that the monarch caterpillars eat is poisonous. The poison stays in their bodies so that animals and birds will not eat them
In order for a caterpillar to grow, it must shed its skin 7 times, called instars, and then becomes a pupa or chrysalis
The male monarch has black spots on its hind wings, which are scent glands that attract the females. The females have no spots and thicker veins.
The chrysalis is pale green at first and gradually turns dark before the adult emerges. This process of transformation takes about a week
The chrysalis is beautiful with gold beads and iridescent green colors
Newly hatched monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies are known for their incredible mass migration that bring millions of them to California and Mexico. North American monarchs are the only butterflies that make such a massive journey – up to 3,000 miles!

This milkweed is the variety most commonly seen along roadsides, waste places and old fields throughout New England. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on this wild Common Milkweed and other cultivated varieties.

ATTENTION GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS:

Plant milkweed to help the monarch butterfly thrive in our region
Educate our youth
Allow these beautiful insects to continue to grace our gardens and our lives!

Reference Materials:

Butterflies and Moths (Children)
Usborne First Nature
DC Publishing
Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Butterfly Book
An Easy Guide to Butterfly Gardens
D. & L. Stokes and E. Williams
Little Brown, Boston, MA

Discover Butterflies (Children)
Activity Book
Callaway Gardens
Pine Mountain, Georgia 31822

Monarch Butterflies (Children)
“A New Tree Book”
-Emilie V. Lepthien
Children’s Press – Chicago

The Butterfly Garden
Turning Your Garden, Window Box or Backyard into a Beautiful Home
For Butterflies
M Tekulsky
The Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA 1985