Monarch Butterflies The Energy Costs of Flight How Much Fuel Do Monarchs Burn?   Mrs. Robbins' 3rd grade class from Ashley Elementary School in Vernal, Utah. "The monarch butterfly will have 11.3 hours to fly before it runs out of fuel. It's important to save fuel because then they can have more energy for later flights," they added. This is why monarchs don't flap all the way to Mexico. They can glide for 1,060 hours on the same 140 mg of fuel.   "The direction and strength of the winds largely determine the progress of the migration," says Dr. Bill Calvert. "Strong fronts tend to 'bunch' monarchs up into discreet pulses. Then, when the winds are northerly and strong, the monarchs fly far."

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