Monarch Butterflies Is Some Nectar Important to Some Monarchs During the Winter? It is common to see butterflies drinking from flowers in the over-wintering area. One might quickly conclude that YES, nectar is important. A study by Dr. Lincoln Brower and Eduardo Rendon disagrees: Monarchs that are visiting flowers are starving to death, they believe. Those butterflies are "running out of gas." They resort to nectar in a futile attempt to stay alive. In contrast, the monarchs clustered in the trees are healthy and don’t need nectar. They still have enough stored lipids. Here’s information and data from their research: Dr. Brower's Lipid Study Scientists Don't Always Agree Dr. Calvert's Comments Naturalist Carol Cullar's Observations Other possibilities? Photos Courtesy of Dr. Lincoln Brower, Sweet Briar College   Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2019 Journey North. All rights reserved.