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Challenge Question #8

ba_schmidt@NOACSC.OHIO.GOV
Thu, 02 Apr 1998 17:14:10 -0400 (EDT)

Hello.

My class accepted the challenge and came up with the following ideas why
it is unlikely that monarch butterflies would migrate at night. There were
many other similar ideas but for the sake of space I combined them to make
this list.

1. They couldn't see their predators (songbirds, bats, a spider web,
etc.) coming at them in the dark, so they wouldn't know to change
direction or hide.

2. If it is calm there wouldn't be enough breeze or thermals to help them
glide along.

3. At night the migrating songbirds wouldn't be able to see the monarchs'
coloring and know to avoid trying to eat one. By then it would probably be
too late for the butterfly.

4. With so many songbirds migrating at night the chances are better that
there are some birds that haven't had the experience of tasting a monarch.
Some monarchs would not survive that taste test.

5. The monarchs can't see well at night so they would get lost.

6. The monarchs aren't noctutnal animals.

7. The buterflies don't have the ability to use the stars to nagivate.

8. It gets too cold at night for the butterflies to fly.

9. It's too dark at night for the monarchs to find a resting place safely.

10. If the weather doesn't stay calm, the butterflies won't be able to
find shelter from the weather in the dark.

11. In the dark the monarchs won't be able to find flowers to get
nourishment if they get tired during the long flight.

12. Even if they the butterflies did find flowers in the dark, many
flowers close up at night so the monarchs couldn't get to the nectar.

Thank you,
Dale Schmidt
Bath Middle School
Lima, Ohio
ba_schmidt@limaO.noacsc.ohio.gov