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| How
Far to Mexico
from Childress, Texas? |
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About
this photo:
These monarchs reached Childress,
Texas (34N,
-100W).
on the evening of October 5, 2007, just in time
to spend the night.
"We
noticed hundreds of butterflies in our backyard.
Upon looking into the Pecan trees we saw at least
500 Monarchs collecting on the leafy branches. It
is almost impossible to count them all," wrote
Laurie Arnn who took this picture.
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Do
you have
a picture of a monarch that's on its way to Mexico?
Click
here to contact us.
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What
food can monarchs sometimes find in pecan trees?
(Clue: It's a sweet liquid but it is NOT nectar!)
"There
are lots of pecans in Texas," says Dr. Bill
Calvert. "And lots of aphids. Monarchs have
been known to 'feed' ('take-in sugar' would be a
better way to describe it), on honeydew deposited
by aphids on pecan leaves. Honeydew-coated pecan
leaves, yum!"
Honeydew is a waste product. It is sweet because
it contains sugar. Aphids excrete the sugar their
bodies do not need. "Monarchs are interested
in drinking fluids containing sugar during their
migration," says Calvert. Did you think monarchs
would only eat nectar?
-
The
Moral: EVERYTHING is recycled in nature!
| Aphids
on Leaf
(Click to view.)
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Can
You See the Honeydew? |
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