Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: April 11,
2003
News From Along the Migration Trail The migration advanced slowly last week, but single sightings from Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee added those states to the count. Rather than advancing dramatically, butterflies seem to be filling in behind the migration's leading edge. However, as is typical every April, we receive fewer sightings as the month goes on. Do you know why?
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) The Next Stage of the Monarch Life Cycle The Larva (Caterpillar) Monarch larvae spend their lives eating--and growing. In fact, the typical monarch increases in mass by 2,000 times while it's a caterpillar. This amazing change takes place in only about 9-14 days. Imagine gaining 2,000 times your weight as monarch larvae do--and so quickly!
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Video Clip: Caterpillar Feast The monarch seen eating in this video clip ate 6 leaves the afternoon of his filming. It took only 20 minutes for him to eat the leaf he was standing upon. The next day he changed into a chrysalis. Just look at him eat! Video Clips and the Scientific
Process Correction: A Case of Mistaken Identity
We apologize for the error, and appreciate the instruction from Mike. How could he tell this tiny larva, only a few millimeters long, was not a monarch? Here's your chance to learn: What's Wrong With That Picture? Caterpillar Identification Quiz Inspect the two larvae below. One is a monarch larva and the other a queen. (These large larvae are at the 5th instar stage, the last stage of growth before the chrysalis forms. However, the same field mark that distinguishes the two can be seen on the tiny larva that was misidentified.)
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Where Did All the Monarchs Go? Discussion of Challenge Question #14
Exactly! And scientists--with the help of "citizen scientists"--are only now learning when mortality occurs. Citizen volunteers are studying the backyard milkweed patch as part of the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MMLP), coordinated by Dr. Karen Oberhauser and Michelle Prisby. Here are initial impressions from MLMP data:
Exploring Milkweed Ecology Ecology is the study of interactions between living things and their environment. As you may know, milkweed plays a central role in the lives of monarch butterflies. Here are 8 different animals that also interact with milkweed, in one way or another. This lesson challenges you to match each organism with the behavior described. Recommended Reading: New Book By Rea, Oberhauser and Quinn
"The milkweed community is a stage for a season-long series of dramas involving a cast of fascinating characters," begins this pocket-sized field guide. The pages that follow are packed with awesome images of the invertebrate world that lives, generally unnoticed, right beneath our noses. This handy guide introduces the reader to the kinds of creatures that come and go from the lowly milkweed patch, each with a job to do: herbivores, nectivores, scavengers, decomposers, predators, and just plain passers-by. But beyond a simple identification guide, this little book portrays the complex interactions between these backyard creatures and delivers what's promised, "A fascinating glimpse into the complex interdependence of life on our planet." The monarch's life begins in a world, one suddenly realizes, that is as intricate and elegant as its migration across a continent is bold and magnificent. Get your copy quickly! The show is about to begin... Predators and Parasites on the Prowl
Here is the story of the tachinid fly, a creature that spends part of its life cycle inside a monarch larva. Can you draw the life cycle of both monarch and tachinid fly? Milkweed Emerging Along
the Migration Trail
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-monarch@learner.org
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