This is a monarch butterfly. Monarchs are international travelers.

Monarchs fly from Canada and the United States to spend the winter in Mexico. This trip is called migration. Monarchs migrate as far as 3,000 miles.

Monarchs find their winter home in Mexico like magic. They fly to a place they have never been before!

The butterflies arrive in Mexico in November. Children look forward to the monarchs' return every fall.

The monarchs hang in trees in Mexico for the winter. The forest shelters them.

Contributed by Dr. Karen Oberhauser

Includes

• food
• habitat and range
• niche
• enemies
• adaptations
• migration
• populations
• distribution
• ecosystems

Food

Q. What do monarch butterflies eat?

A. Adult butterflies eat nectar and water. Sometimes liquid from fruits. Larvae eat only milkweed.

Contributed by Dr. Karen Oberhauser

Includes: