FIRST, MEET THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY
Look at each of these stages of a monarch butterfly’s life cycle.
Egg
The female lays her eggs on the leaves of milkweed plants. Caterpillars hatch out in about four days.
Caterpillar
Caterpillars eat their egg case and keep on eating. They eat the milkweed leaves they’re on. They eat nearly twenty-four hours a day for about two weeks.
Pupa
The caterpillar spins a silk pad on the under side of a leaf. It grips this with tiny legs, called prolegs. It hangs in a J-shape and molts. This way it sheds its exoskeleton, or outer covering.
That hardens to form a chrysalis, a protective case. Inside the chrysalis, digestive juices break down a lot of the caterpillar’s old body. Using energy from stored up fats, a new body grows from the old one bit by bit.
The caterpillar spins a silk pad on the under side of a leaf. It grips this with tiny legs, called prolegs. It hangs in a J-shape and molts. This way it sheds its exoskeleton, or outer covering.
That hardens to form a chrysalis, a protective case. Inside the chrysalis, digestive juices break down a lot of the caterpillar’s old body. Using energy from stored up fats, a new body grows from the old one bit by bit.
Adult
After about two weeks, an adult monarch butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. It takes several hours for its wings to fully inflate and harden. Then it flies off to feed on nectar, the sweet liquid produced by flowers. It lives from two to eight weeks. During this time, the males and females mate. Then the females lay their eggs, starting the cycle over again.
After about two weeks, an adult monarch butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. It takes several hours for its wings to fully inflate and harden. Then it flies off to feed on nectar, the sweet liquid produced by flowers. It lives from two to eight weeks. During this time, the males and females mate. Then the females lay their eggs, starting the cycle over again.
NOW, ENJOY THESE FUN ACTIVITIES
Butterfly Inside
Experience what happens when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Cut out and color an adult monarch.
Then fold this up small and push it inside a balloon.
Have an adult partner blow up a balloon just enough to partly inflate it. Tie the neck to seal the balloon.
Cover the balloon with paper mache. To do this, first snip newspaper into strips about an inch (2.5 cm) wide and 6 inches (25 cm) long. Cut at least 25 strips. In a bowl, mix one-half cup flour with enough water to make a runny paste. Dip one paper strp into the glue mixture. Hold the strip over the bowl and slide between your thumb and fingers to remove excess paste. Smooth the strip onto the balloon. Repeat until the whole balloon is covered up to the neck. Smooth your fingers over the wet balloon. This will help seal the edges of the paper strips. Set the balloon in a clean, dry bowl. Turn frequently for a few hours to help it dry evenly. Leave overnight.
The balloon now represents the chrysalis for the pupa stage. Inside, the caterpillar is changing into an adult butterfly. Use scissors to carefully snip into the balloon just below the neck. That will pop the balloon. It will deflate and separate from the inside of the paper mache. Carefully pull out the balloon. Open it and pull out the folded up adult. Unfold the adult slowly.
In real life, the adult butterfly’s body gives off a special chemical that helps break open the chrysalis. Then the adult crawls out and hangs upside down from its chrysalis. Its abdomen squeezes over and over, pumping fluid into the wings. The big wings slowly unfold. The butterfly flaps these wings while they dry and become strong. Then it’s ready to fly.
Scavenger Hunt
Now, go on an on-line scavenger hunt to track down the answers to these questions.
Experience what happens when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Cut out and color an adult monarch.
Then fold this up small and push it inside a balloon.
Have an adult partner blow up a balloon just enough to partly inflate it. Tie the neck to seal the balloon.
Cover the balloon with paper mache. To do this, first snip newspaper into strips about an inch (2.5 cm) wide and 6 inches (25 cm) long. Cut at least 25 strips. In a bowl, mix one-half cup flour with enough water to make a runny paste. Dip one paper strp into the glue mixture. Hold the strip over the bowl and slide between your thumb and fingers to remove excess paste. Smooth the strip onto the balloon. Repeat until the whole balloon is covered up to the neck. Smooth your fingers over the wet balloon. This will help seal the edges of the paper strips. Set the balloon in a clean, dry bowl. Turn frequently for a few hours to help it dry evenly. Leave overnight.
The balloon now represents the chrysalis for the pupa stage. Inside, the caterpillar is changing into an adult butterfly. Use scissors to carefully snip into the balloon just below the neck. That will pop the balloon. It will deflate and separate from the inside of the paper mache. Carefully pull out the balloon. Open it and pull out the folded up adult. Unfold the adult slowly.
In real life, the adult butterfly’s body gives off a special chemical that helps break open the chrysalis. Then the adult crawls out and hangs upside down from its chrysalis. Its abdomen squeezes over and over, pumping fluid into the wings. The big wings slowly unfold. The butterfly flaps these wings while they dry and become strong. Then it’s ready to fly.
Scavenger Hunt
Now, go on an on-line scavenger hunt to track down the answers to these questions.
How can you help monarch butterflies?
Why is a viceroy butterfly colored to mimic a monarch butterfly?
Also, don’t miss the fun, interactive jigsaw puzzles on this site.
Where do monarch butterflies go to escape cold winters?
Check out this map to see if they annually fly near where you live. Monarch Butterfly Migration
You may be surprised to learn the longest any monarch butterfly has flown to date during its migration was 2,880 miles. It was first tagged in Brighton, Ontario on september 10, 1988. then it was recaptured on april 8, 1989 in austin Texas. It is believed to have overwintered in Mexico.
Check out this map to see if they annually fly near where you live. Monarch Butterfly Migration
You may be surprised to learn the longest any monarch butterfly has flown to date during its migration was 2,880 miles. It was first tagged in Brighton, Ontario on september 10, 1988. then it was recaptured on april 8, 1989 in austin Texas. It is believed to have overwintered in Mexico.
Wonder how monarch butterflies know where they’re going when they migrate?
Journey North’s Monarch Butterfly Migration Tracking Project reports...
“This is a question that scientists are still working to answer. People working at the University of Kansas with Chip Taylor have shown that they use the sun, and also probably the earth’s magnetic field to know which way is south during the fall migration. But we don’t know how they find the specific spots in Mexico. Personally, I’m not sure that we’ll ever be able to answer this one—which I think is kind of nice. I like mysteries!”
READY FOR MONARCH STORYTIME?
This is my favorite illustration from this story. And this is a story from my personal experience. Once when I was a child growing up near Lake Erie, I was outside one afternoon when an orange cloud appeared. It was migrating Monarch butterflies and they settled to rest for the night covering tree branches so they became magnificently decorated. It was unforgettable and sparked this story. ENJOY!
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