click photo to enlarge |
In February and March, the final generation of hibernating monarch
butterflies come out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north
and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one
and generation one of the new year for the monarch butterfly. In March and
April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby
caterpillars, also called the larvae. It takes about four days for the eggs
to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the
milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be
fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the
process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using
silk and transform into a chrysalis. The monarch butterfly will emerge from
the pupa and fly away, feeding on flowers and just enjoying the short life
it has left, which is only about two to six weeks. This first generation
monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.
The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and
then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch
butterflies will go through exactly the same four stage life cycle as the
first generation did, dying two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful
monarch butterfly. But the fourth generation of the year are the ones
that will migrate south for the winter and live up to 6 months to start the
entire process again. |
