To all of the Journey North Students following the monarch migration:
Thanks for you good questions. As I said last year, there are many that I can't answer, because they haven't been studied. There are many things that are very difficult to learn about insects. A good exercise would be to try to come up with suggestions as to how you would learn answers to questions that I can't answer. Remember that scientists need to work within time and money constraints in answering their questions!
Many of you may be also following the Monarch Watch homepage. This is a WWW site devoted to monarchs, and has lots of good information. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to look at this site.
Happy monarch watching! Karen
From MAINE:
Our class has the following questions for the monarch expert:
Q. What three books on monarchs would you consider the most useful for us to locate? Much of what we can get our hands on is at the introductory level and we want to get beyond that.
A. I agree that there isn't a lot of good basic information available. The Monarch Watch homepage, see address above, is good. Other sources are 2 rather long books: The Monarch Butterfly: International Traveler, by Fred Urquhart, and Biology and Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly, editted by Stephen Malcom and Myron Zalucki. The latter is not intended for the general public, but is a collection of scientific papers. I think that you may find things of interest in it, though, if you can find a copy in a library somewhere.
Q. In your opinion, how did monarchs get to England and Wales this fall? Were they blown by winds? We think that is a great idea but are skeptical.
A. There has been a lot of discussion of this. My opinion is only based on what I have read, and not direct observation and study, and even people who have directly studied this issue don't know what happened. The only explanation I can think of is that they were blown there, but I am also skeptical.
Q. Which do you think is the greatest threat to monarch survival, wintering sites in Mexixo, breeding sites in Canada and the U.S. or something else?
Because the monarchs are concentrated in a very small area in the winter, they are more vulnerable during this stage of their life. However, breeding sites in Canada and the US are also crucial to their survival, and additional losses of these sites also pose threats. I don't think that we should focus so much on what the greatest threat is, but more on what we can do as individuals to permit monarchs and other species to live alongside humans.
Thank you. We look forward to hearing from you.
Cornish 6th Grade Caslegona@aol.com
From MINNESOTA:
Questions for the Monarch Experts from Seventh grade life science students at Fosston High School
Q. My students have put this question in the form of: Why do they fly dizzy?, referring to some really erratic flight patterns of monarchs.
A. I have seen these flight patterns in many contexts. In some cases, monarchs fly in erratic patterns when they have been threatened, especially after I try to catch them with a net! Males and females sometimes fly erratically during chases, when the male is trying to catch a female to mate with him, and the female is trying to get away. There are probably many explanations, but I think that predator avoidance and sexual chases are probably the most important.
Q. We know that the milkweed juices make them poisonous to lots of animals. Are there any that can and do regularly eat monarch butterflies or catepillars?
A. Yes. There are some birds that eat monarchs, some mammals (mice), several insects, and some parasites. We have a good section on predation in the Monarch Watch website (see address at the beginning of this message). We don't know much about the insect predators, but the birds have evolved interesting ways to handle the toxins in monarchs.
Q. When looking at adult monarch butterflies is there any way to tell the difference between male and female monarchs?
A. Males have a small spot on the inside surface of their hindwings that is not present in females. This spot is made of specialized scales that, in some butterflies, emit a chemical used in courtship. The ends of their abdomens also look different. Females tend to look slightly darker than males, and have slightly wider wing veins. If you were standing here next to me, I could show you these differences more easily than I can explain them - I'd recommend looking at some pictures!
Q. Is there anything out there that does eat monarchs regularly?
A. See answer above, and the Monarch Watch homepage.
7th Grade science students
Margaret Menzies,Science Teacher
Fosston High School, Fosston, Minnesota
rjohnso@informns.k12.mn.us
From ALABAMA:
Q. What percentage of monarchs died in the deep freeze in Mexico this winter? Wryn Vance
A. This question has been the subject of a great deal of debate. The number that died probably varied a lot among different overwintering sites. The site that I visited was quite well protected by a good forest canopy, and people that were studying the butterflies there estimated that from 6 to 8% percent died. However, they thought that many more died at other sites. This is a hard question to answer, since it requires knowing both the number that died from the storm, and the number that are still alive. One thing that amazed me about the site was the number of dead butterflies on the ground - it's not always possible to know how they died. Many are killed by birds, or run out of energy stores.
Q. About how many scales can fall off before the monarch has to stop flying? Emma Clark
A. Monarchs can fly after they've lost a lot of scales! I'm amazed at how worn some of them look. However, they probably can't fly as efficiently when they've lost significant numbers. If you're asking for an exact number, I have no idea! From my experience, monarchs don't lose scales as easily as many other butterflies and moths, and can be handled without causing much scale loss.
Q. Can monarchs hear? Shree Sarathy
A. The larvae respond to loud noises, so I guess they can hear, or at least sense air vibrations. Hearing is probably not an important way for them to learn about their world, as it is for us. They sense the world mostly through smell and vision.
We are sixth grade students. Our Internet field team Number is A1202. Thank you for your answers. J.F. Drake Middle School, Auburn, Alabama Carol D Rogow rogowcd@mail.auburn.edu
From TEXAS:
Questions from Sarah, Erin and Dugan in Mrs. Leland's class.Here are three monarch questions for Journey North:
Q. Where was one of the first monarchs spotted?
A. I don't know.
Q. What is the most eggs a monarch has ever laid?
A. Again, I have no way of knowing how many eggs wild females lay. I have studied fecundity (number of eggs laid) by captive females, and they highest number I've seen was 1179. The average is about 700, but this varies from year to year. They lay fewer in hot, dry summers.
Q. How do the gold spots on the chrysalis form?
A. These are spots that reflect the light, like metal does. We don't know just how they form, or what their function is.
Judith Keese Leland joleland@tenet.edu
From NEW YORK:
Q. What kind of tags are used on the butterflies, so as not to weigh them down?
A. We use small (less than 1 sq. cm) stickers that are applied with a thin layer of glue. These are light enough that they don't interfere with the butterflies' flight - it's kind of like you wearing a shirt, which doesn't interfere with how fast you can run.
Q. Since the wings are thin how come they dont wear out?
A. They are thin, but they are very strong. They do wear out, though, and can be torn or damaged during the butterflies' lives. We saw some butterflies in Mexico that were missing over half of their wing area, but could still fly. I don't think they will make it very far on their migration, though!
Q. Can butterflies overheat if it gets too hot?
A. Yes! Butterflies of many species need to avoid extreme heat, and have many strategies for doing so. Monarchs retreat to shady places when it's very hot.
Thank you for taking time out of your most likley busy schedule.
Rosemary Maurer maurerr@sued.syr.edu
From MINNESOTA:
Q. We would like to know how much a monarch weighs.
A. Monarchs weigh, on average, about half a gram. This can vary from about .27 grams (a very small monarch!) to about .75 grams (a very big monarch!)
Q. Is it true that monarchs can only see one color?
A. No, butterflies have the broadest visual spectrum of any known animals, and can see more colors that you can! They can see UV light, which humans can't.
Thank you.
Jane Bartow jabar@breck.pvt.k12.mn.us
From ALABAMA:
Q. Where do they store fat on their journey to Mexico and back? from Steve Cobb 5th grade
A. In their abdomens.
Q. Why do they take the same route to Mexico and back? from Blake Quick 5th grade
A. We don't know that they do!
Q. Do monarchs sleep or do they just rest? from Benjamin Lewis 5th grade
A. Sleep is a funny thing. Monarchs are inactive when it's dark, but they can't shut their eyes, because they don't have eyelids. Do you think they sleep? How would you tell?
These students are from J.F. Drake Middle School in Auburn, Alabama.
Carol D Rogow rogowcd@mail.auburn.edu
From MICHIGAN:
Dear Experts,
We only have a few questions today and here they are;
Q. When will the Monarchs start migrating?
A. This question has been answered by observers in Mexico and Texas! They started in mid-March, and are on their way now! I can't wait until they get to places like Michigan and Minnesota!
Q. When will the Monarchs stop migrating?
A. The ones that leave Mexico will stop migrating when they die, and probably won't get much farther than central US. Their offspring will continue the migration north.
Q. How long do Monarchs live?
A. This depends on when they live (summer or winter), and also varies a lot among individuals (just like it does it humans). In the summer, adults live from 2 to 6 weeks in captivity, and probably about that long in the wild. The ones that migrate live longer, from August or September to about April (although a lot die before this). When people hear this, they say they'd rather be a migratory monarchs, but these butterflies probably face many more risks, and are likely to have a smaller chance of getting offspring into the next generation.
The times I told you only refer to the adults. It takes them about a month to go from the egg to adult stage, so we should really add four weeks to those times. After all, we count human childhood in the human lifespan!
Thank you for answering our questions.
Sincerly,
Amanda Eubanks,Danielle Latimer and Erica Toms
MUSSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
mes@mail.oeonline.com
From MAINE:
Hi, We are studying the monarch butterfly and have 3 questions for you:
Q. How many butterflies died in Mexico during the freeze and is this going to effect their population and future survival?
A. I answered the first question earlier. Any mortality affects their population somewhat, but animals that have such a high rate of reproduction can recover from short periods of high mortality. The key is short periods of high mortality - if this continued, it would affect their future survival. For example, if a hard winter is followed by a hard spring and summer, that would be very bad. So far, this spring is not looking very good for monarchs - it has been cold and dry in the Southern US, and there are not a lot of flowers or milkweed plants available. This could cause problems, but an excellent summer in the Northern US could allow the monarch population to bounce back. Year after year of high mortality in the overwintering sites would also be very bad.
Q. Where do they go and what do they do at night?
A. They remain still at night, probably on vegetation like bushes and trees, but as far as I know, no one has done a detailed study that involved finding monarchs at night.
Q. How many times do their wings flap in a minute?
A. About 5 to 12 times a second (this is actually quite slow compared to many other butterflies), so about 300 to 720 times a minute.
Thank you, Melissa Pailes, Ben Thibodeau, and Adam Thurston
Pemetic Elementary School,
Fran Howley grade5fh@pemetic.u98.k12.me.us
From NEBRASKA:
Q. Does the word "monarch" come from a foreign word? If so, what does it mean? From where does the word butterfly originate?
A. The word monarch means a ruler, or king. No one is sure just where the word butterfly comes from - some people think that the bright yellow color of sulfur butterflies may be the origin of the word. Other people think that they got that name because they fly in the spring, which was supposedly the butter-making season, and because so many are yellow like butter. They are only called butterflies in English.
Q. Are butterflies nocturnal or diurnal?
A. Diurnal.
Q. How many varieties of colors do the monarchs have?
A. I'm not sure what you mean. They are orange, black, and white, but the orange can be different shades.
Thank you! From the seventh grade class at District #42.
Joan Kollars jkollars@panesu.esu14.k12.ne.us
From MINNESOTA:
Q. How long the monarchs are a live?
A. See my answer above.
Q. How many eggs the monarchs have in one time?
A. They only lay one egg at a time, but they can lay many in a single day (the most I've seen is 205 in one day, but this is very unusual).
Q. How many inches are the eggs of a butterfly?
A. They are about the size of a pinhead. How many inches is that?
Q. How long are the Caterpillars?
A. They grow from being less than a centimeter to about 5 cm.
JOSE B. LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROBBINDALE MN.
281 lakeview user@metro2.k12.mn.us
From ONTARIO:
Q. How do you tell the male monarch from the female?
A. See my answer above.
V. White vivwhite@limestone.kosone.com
From LOUISIANA:
Hello from St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge, LA. We have some questions for Ask The Expert on the monarch migration.
Q. Do monarchs get lost during migration?
A. We don't know.
Q. Did the viceroy or any other species branch off from the monarch/ Or are any species diverging or converging in evolution from the monarch?
A. The viceroy and monarch are not very closely related - they are in the same family, but not the same genus. Evolution can't be studied on very short time scales, so the only way to really answer your second question is to say that there are other species closely related to monarchs - the closest relative that occurs in the US is the queen, which is found in southern states. Viceroys, queens, and monarchs all have similar coloration.
Q. What percentage of monarchs make it to the migratory stage?
A. Monarchs go through 4 or 5 generations each year, and only one of these migrates. The migratory generation is the last one of a year, so it is probably the largest generation, however. It is also probably the one that has the highest mortality before it reproduces, but we don't have good data on this.
Q. What are some invertebrate predators of the monarch and why are they able to eat the monarch since birds can't?
A. See the Monarch Watch homepage. We have a good section on this. Briefly, many insects (stink bugs, wasps, ambush bugs are some) eat monarchs. We don't know how they deal with the toxins.
Q. Does the shorter distance by crossing the Gulf of Mexicao affect the monarch's life cycle?
A. It's shorter, but probably riskier. We don't know the details of this, or whether monarchs that are found over the Gulf have been blown off course or actually "mean" to be flying that way.
Q. How does magnetite get into its system or on its body?
A. I'm not sure. Very little is known about this.
Thank you. Mrs. Ales's Honors Biology classes
SJA3@aol.com
From WISCONSIN:
Q. What do adult Monarch Butterflies eat?
A. Nectar and water. Sometimes liquid from fruits.
Stasia Wilson
Laura Graham laurag@execpc.com
FROM ILLINOIS:
Q. Can you tell me how many Butterflys got wiped out in mexcao
A. See above.
"L. Carlson" carlson.l@www.district28.k12.il.us
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