1. The Monarch Butterflies’ bright colors indicate to predators that they’re poisonous!
This is because as a Caterpillar, they eat Milkweed. Milkweed contains a chemical called Cardiac Glycoside. Surprisingly Cardiac Glycoside don’t affect invertebrate animals or insects. But the toxic effect on vertebrates can be significant depending on the dose taken, thus keeping the Monarch’s natural predators like birds and frogs steering well clear of them. You can learn more about Butterfly predators and defenses here!
2. Monarch butterflies (and most others!) don’t have a wider range of vision than humans.
We humans have Trichromatic vision, meaning we have 3 types of color receptors. Monarchs ALSO have Trichromatic vision, but there is a key difference. Monarch’s color receptors only allow them to perceive those 3 color types at a high frequency. Butterflies cannot see below the frequency of red, meaning they’re blind to red and any lower wavelengths, whereas humans are blind to any wavelength above violet, hence we cannot see Ultraviolet light, but Monarchs can! So all in all Monarchs don’t have better vision than humans, it’s just different!
3. Have you ever wondered how to tell between a male and a female Monarch Butterfly?
It all comes down to two black dots on the back of the Monarch’s wings! Now granted, Males are generally a little larger than Females, but you would be hard-pressed to be able to reliably sex them from size alone. I’d argue that you can’t, and my family raises them. Amazingly, something so little can tell you so much. On a male, near the butterflies butt, or Spiracle, about a half inch to the left and right, you’ll see a black dot on its wings. On a female, these dots aren’t there. Besides this another characteristic of females is the black lining along their wings tends to be thinner than males.
The annual migration of the Monarch Butterfly is such an amazing yet curious thing. During their migration, they may fly at a mind-boggling altitude of over 10,000 feet! The best part? We don’t even know how they manage it! It’s still a very active region of study as to why and how these little guys are doing it. To put it in perspective from the moment they leave their chrysalis they have only 2-6 weeks to begin their journey. So these little guys are born knowing exactly what to do and spend their whole lives doing it.
5. Monarchs can survive below-freezing temperatures!
This is actually how we ship our butterflies to various weddings or events. We’d pack them in our packaging and place dry ice around it. Now Monarchs aren’t just made of anti-freeze or anything, the Monarch mustn’t get wet, if the poor butterfly does, they’re a goner. In cold temperatures, their metabolism slows down to a crawl, and the untrained eye may even appear dead. This is how Monarch butterflies can survive through a cold snap during spring. Once temperatures start to rise, they absorb the heat, wake up, and continue on their merry way!
6. When a Monarch’s Wing is torn or broken, it cannot be regenerated.
When a human breaks their arm or cuts their skin somewhere on their body, it will (hopefully!) eventually heal.
That’s not the case with Monarchs and other butterflies. When a wing is torn or broken, it’s done. It will never heal, it will never repair itself in any way. Now with human intervention, there are ways to help treat a broken wing, but if left to Mother Nature, it will only get worse before the butterflies’ ultimate demise. This is why you should never try to catch a butterfly if you don’t know what you’re doing. Butterfly wings are extremely fragile and they rely on the “dust” that coats their wings to camouflage them or warn predators.
7. Monarch Butterflies are in danger. Grave Danger.
America’s love affair with the Monarch butterfly is obvious, they’re the first thing you think of when you imagine a butterfly. You’ve always seen them, they’ve always been around so it’s assumed they always will be. We don’t pay much attention. But the Monarch habitat is being destroyed. Monarchs are dying in droves, similar to the honey bee, it is important, now more than ever that you remember these little guys. Buy milkweed and plant it in your yard, it grows like a weed and doesn’t need much (really any) attention. You’ll get the added benefit of more Monarchs in your yard and the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your part to help them survive. You should also consider donating to the Monarch’s conversation effort!