Approximate days of: egg 3-6 days
caterpillar 9-14 days
chrysalis 9-14 days
Approximate life of the butterfly: 4-6 weeks except for the last brood which lives up to 9 months.
Only 1 percent or less of all eggs become adults.
They lay their eggs on plants in the milkweed family – Asclepias spp.
During the females life time, she will lay several hundred eggs. The average number of eggs is 300 - 400.
The eggs are about 1/32 inch, ivory, oval with a flat bottom, and ridged from top to bottom.
The caterpillar grows from about 3/32 inch to about 2 inches.
It has 5 instars, which are stages of growth between molting (shedding their skin/exoskeleton). The last time they molt, they make their chrysalis.
The chrysalis is jade with metallic gold spots.
The butterfly ranges in size from 3 ½ to 4 ½ inches.
Generally males are larger than females.
The males have thinner veins and 2 black spots on their hindwings. Those spots are alar pockets which have glands in them that produce pheromones. The pheromones entice females into mating in many species of butterflies, but seem not to affect Monarchs.
They nectar on a wide variety of plants. A few of them are Milkweeds – Asclepias spp., Blue Mistflower – Eupatorium coelestinum, Red Clover – Trifolium pratense, Joe-Pye-Weed – Eupatorium maculatum, Asters – Aster spp., Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea, Boneset – Eupatorium perfoliatum, Blazing Star – Liatris spp.,
Phlox – Phlox spp., and Vervain – Verbena spp..
On the average, Monarchs can fly about 12 miles per hour.
Monarchs can fly over 2 miles high. They have been spotted flying between 10,000 and 13,000 feet high.
The Monarchs which are east of the Rocky Mountains overwinter in a mountain range which is 44 to 105 miles west of Mexico City. The ones that are west of the Rocky Mountains overwinter in California.
Monarch Websites:
www.LearnAboutMonarchs.com
www.MyMonarchGuide.com