Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: April 4, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
News From Along the Migration
Trail
The migration has now advanced into Arkansas and Oklahoma, and scattered
sightings were also reported a far east as Georgia, South and North Carolina!
If you’re keeping track of the state and provinces the monarchs
have reached, predict where you think they’ll arrive next?
The Journey Home
Final Notes from Dr. Calvert’s Mexico Travels
Drs. Calvert and Edson finally arrived home, after their long journey
along the migration pathway in northern Mexico. Special thanks to Jim
Edson for these terrific photos of the region!
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Between
Rio Corona and the U.S. border |
On
the way to the swimming hole |
The
swimming hole |
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Jim
Edson at the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 North) |
Resting
during the long migration |
Bill
Calvert's van at Rio Corona |
Said Dr. Bill, “Basically, adults were not seen flying during the
day. We assumed that they were way up high. We found them in the evening
about 5:30 - 6:30 PM along rows of trees, or during the day in cool riparian
areas. This is often what we see along the southward migration - nothing
during the day and then a fallout in the afternoon or evening. But sometimes
on the southward migration we would see enormous numbers flying low during
the day.”
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Inspecting
milkweed for eggs and larva |
Milkweed does occur in the region, and monarch eggs and larvae were found
but “the milkweed densities were never what I have encountered in
fields in Texas or further north," and "nothing that would lead
one to believe that gravid and eager females were loading plants with
eggs as fast as they could.”
The Life Cycle Begins!
If you live north of latitude 40N, your first monarch will probably be the
child of a monarch from Mexico. Right now, this new generation is developing
across the region where the migration is passing. During the coming weeks
we’ll focus on each stage of the monarch life cycle, so you can picture
what’s happening while you wait.
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Can
you find the butterfly in this picture?
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First comes the egg: Take a close look at that tiny cream-colored dot.
Carried inside are all of the instructions a monarch needs to be a monarch.
The egg will change from larva to chrysalis and adult, and then the cycle
will begin again. Through each stage the same genetic information will
travel such that next fall, several generations hence, an adult butterfly
will migrate back to Mexico. All this happens by instinct alone!
As you learn about each stage of the monarch life cycle this spring,
keep a list of all the things monarchs do by instinct.
Do people have instincts? Throughout history
and around the globe, several specific human behaviors occur during
the first year of life. Do parents teach their babies to smile? To crawl?
To stand or to walk? Interview a parent about a baby they watched develop
(maybe you!). Record the dates each of the events occurred for the first
time, and explore the world of instinct.
A Day in the Life of a Butterfly
Egg
If you were a butterfly egg, your mother wouldn’t have time to raise
you. During the breeding season, monarchs live only 2-6 weeks. Mother monarchs
abandon their eggs the instant they're laid. How do young monarchs survive?
Read a few facts about life as a butterfly egg.
Insect Reproduction Strategy
Large Numbers, Raised by Mother Nature
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In
the wild, monarchs would never lay this many eggs on a single leaf
as they do in captivity. (Photo: Dr. Karen Oberhauser's lab) |
A single monarch butterfly can lay hundreds of eggs. In Dr. Karen Oberhauser’s
lab, the record for one female is 1,719 eggs! Monarchs lay only one egg
at a time, but can lay many in a single day. Monarchs depend on Mother Nature
to raise their young. Write instructions for the babysitter.
The Story of the Female Who
Laid Many Eggs
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Courtesy
of Jim Edson
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Last spring, a special butterfly flew to Arkansas from Mexico. Read her
story, then count and graph how many eggs she laid each day during her brief
visit:
Eating Eggshells: The Monarch’s
First Meal
Monarchs aren’t eggs for long! They hatch within 3-5 days. The first
thing they do is eat their own shell.
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Eggs
are usually laid on the underside of the leaf. |
The
day of hatching, the top of the egg turns black
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Immediately
after emerging, the monarch turns back and eats its own shell.
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Where Do All the Monarchs
Go? Challenge Question #14
You must be wondering by now...
Challenge Question #14:
“If a single female monarch can lay hundreds and hundreds of eggs,
why don’t we see hundreds and hundreds of monarch butterflies?
What happens to them? List all the ideas you can imagine.”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions
below.)
My Monarch Habitat in...
Discussion of Challenge Question #13
Aron wrote from France, and Mrs. Swentzel’s students from New Jersey.
Everybody guessed this habitat was in New York, which is VERY, very close--only
5 miles away! But this monarch habitat is in the state of Vermont. It’s
snowing here today, so the monarchs are smart to stay away.
Challenge Question #15
Where’s The Next Mystery Monarch Habitat?
Here are photos and clues from another monarch habitat site:
“Luckily our Monarchs aren't here yet because our climate keeps
changing from really hot to freezing and back again as it does most
springs! Our tall, feathered, twice a year guests are here now spending
most of their time along our main river, whose name in French means
‘flat.’ The closest thing we have to a mountain is the overpass
on Interstate 80, but we do have hills made of sand in the western part
of our state. We’re 1,549 miles (2,493 km) from the sanctuaries
in Mexico. No milkweed yet, not even under the leaves in the flower
bed.The maple trees are just starting the seed "helicopters. Tulips
are blooming, and we've seen a few dandelions."
Challenge Question # 15:
"In what state or province do you think this monarch habitat is
located? Send us your guess! (And, if you like, send a photo of your
local monarch habitat, along with geographical clues, for a future Challenge
Question.)"
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions
below.)
Answers from the Monarch
Expert
Special thanks to Dr. Karen Oberhauser for providing her time and expertise
in responding to your questions!
If you'd like to learn more about monarchs, check out Dr. Oberhauser's
two websites:
How to Respond to Today's Challenge
Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each
e-mail message.
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-monarch@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question # 14 (or #15)
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Monarch Butterfly Migration
Update Will Be Posted on April 11, 2003
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North. All Rights Reserved.
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