Ready or Not?
If monarchs were to arrive in your region today, would their habitat
be ready? Has the milkweed emerged from the ground yet? Are there
flowers with nectar for the monarchs to drink?
Try This!
Be sure to report the first monarch you see this spring to: jn-report@learner.org or press the blue button below called: Report Field Observations
In the Comments section please include the following:
Thanks to all who reported the following sightings! Their comments can be found below.
Date Location
March 13 San Antonio,TX (29.252 N, 98.293 W)
March 17 Sugar Land, TX (29.371 N, 95.380 W )
April 16 McLean, VA (38.560 N, 77.104 W)
April 20 Rockville, MD (39.050 N, 77.091 W)
April 21 McLean, VA (38.560 N, 77.104 W )
April 26 Lincoln, NE (40.480 N, 96.400 W)
April 29 Lincoln, NE (40.480 N, 96.400 W)
May 1 McLean, VA (38.560 N, 77 104 W)
May 4 Bristol,VA (36.354 N, 82.111 W)
May 5 Williamsburg, VA (37.161 N,76.422 W)
May 5 McLean, VA (38.5603 N 0771040 W )
May 6 McLean, VA (38560 N, 77.104 W )
May 7 Glen Head, NY (40.500 N,73.372 W)
When you think of a monarch butterfly, what picture comes to mind? Before reading further, take a minute and sketch the picture.
Now compare the drawings made by students in your class. How many people drew an orange and black butterfly? How many people drew:
* A tiny egg, not much bigger than the head of a pin?
* A caterpillar with yellow, black and white stripes ?
* A light green chrysalis with golden spots?
Right now, monarchs exist in all of these stages of development. In fact, there may be a lull in sightings of adult butterflies during this transition. How long will it take for the new spring generation of adult butterflies to develop? In response to last week's Challenge Question, students figured this out:
From The Monarch Committee:
The shortest amount of time is 21 days. The Monarch Committee: Tamara,
Nicholas, Laura, Tobias smithread@aol.com
Areduce@aol.com
From ONTARIO:
The shortest monarch generation is 21 days.
Ben Ferrie, Richmond Hill Ontario. sferrie@arf.org
Stuart Ferrie (SFERRIE@ARF.ORG)
According to the chart below, it can take between 21 and 41 days for a monarch to become an adult, and the average rate of development is 28 days.
Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle: Rate of Development
Stage # Days Average
(range)
Eggs 3 - 5 4
Larvae 9 -18 12
Pupae 9 -18 12
(Note: Temperature affects the rate of development: Monarchs develop more QUICKLY when the weather is WARM and more SLOWLY when it's COOL.)
The affect of cool temperatures on monarchs has been mentioned again and again. Due to a cool spring we've found:
* Milkweed plants have been late to emerge and are growing more
slowly.
* Flowers are blooming later than normal so nectar has not been
available.
* Butterfly generations develop more slowly at cool temperatures.
Challenge Question # 118
"In what other ways might cool temperatures affect monarch migration?"
(To respond to this Challenge Question please see the instructions at the end of this report.)
Thanks to Ben Ferrie of Richmond Hill, Ontario (sferrie@arf.org) for answering Challenge Question # 110. Ben figured out how much weight he would have to gain if he were to grow at the same rate as a monarch caterpillar grows:
"I weigh 105 pounds and if my weight was timesed by 2,700 I would weigh 283,500 pounds and if it took nine days I would gain 31,500 pounds a day."
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COMMENTS FROM OBSERVERS:
From TEXAS:
March 13, 1996
My name is Valann Young. I saw a whole bunch of Monarchs about 14:00 on
Wednesday, March 13th in San Antonio. We were near the famous San Antonio
River Walk when we saw them The weather was sunny and warm with a slight
breeze. Valann Youngs. Naomi Brown, First Colony M.S., San Antonio,TX
naomib@tenet.edu
From TEXAS:
March 17, 1996
It was 2:30 in the afternoon. Observed on land, flying. About 2-3
individuals sighted. Ineke Finlayson. Naomi Brown, First Colony M.S.,
Sugar Land, TX
naomib@tenet.edu
From NEBRASKA:
April 26, 1996
I saw about 10 monarchs on a bush with pink flowers. They were probably
drinking nectar. It was a sunny day after school and I was with my family
at a trailer court. Alan Barentine.
I saw a brightly colored female in my yard in Lincoln, NE. It was 75 F. Ashley Leibel
Rosemary Thornton, Fredstrom Elementary , Lincoln, NE 40.88, 101.5
monarch@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us
From NEBRASKA:
April 29, 1996
I saw a monarch flying in a field behind my house. It was a sunny day.
Audrey King. Rosemary Thornton, Fredstrom Elementary, Lincoln, NE
40.88, 101.5
monarch@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us
From VIRGINIA:
May 4, 1996
Two students from this class of Fifth Graders saw Monarch butterflies in
Washington County, Virginia. This is a county that surrounds the city of
Bristol and the town of Abingdon, Virginia.
students of Fifth Grade. Jeri Countiss, Valley Institute Elementary,
Bristol, VA vies@naxs.com
From MARYLAND:
April 20, 1996
A very tattered & faded female was seen. After she flew away I
counted 37 eggs on a single milkweed cluster which was only about 3"
tall at the time. There were 10 eggs on one of the tiny leaves!
The milkweed is now about 1 1/2 feet tall and covered with 1/2"
caterpillars. The sighting was near Rock Creek Park in Chevy Chase,
Maryland
Dean Evangelista, Gaithersburg, Maryland
From VIRGINIA:
April 16 (& other dates)
We are a fourth grade class from Franklin Sherman Elementary School
in McLean, Virginia. A number of us have spotted monarchs in our
area, and one of the students saw one in Williamsburg over the
weekend. Local sightings took place on April 16 (Adam H.), April 21
(Tjay), May 1 (Adam M.), May 5 (Julianne, Melissa and Tarik), and
May 6 (Cody). All butterfly wings were in great shape, except for
those spotted on April 16 and May 1. The Williamsburg sighting took
place on May 5, while all others took place here in McLean.
Patricia B. Skibinski pskibins@pen.k12.va.us
From NEW YORK
May 7, 1996
My name is Molly Zeins.
I am from Glen Head, Long Island. I saw a Monarch Butterfly on May 7th.The
butterfly was medium sized and in really good condition. It was orange in
the middle and with black lines, outside it was black with white dots.
Glen Head School nsghs@li.net
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How to Respond to Challenge Questions # 118
1. Send an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question #118
3. In the Body of your message, answer this question:
"In what other ways might cold temperatures affect monarch migration?"
The Next Monarch Butterfly Migration Update Will be Posted on May 21, 1996.
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