EggName ______________________________ Date _____________________
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Monarch Butterfly
The Monarch
is a common poisonous butterfly because it eats poisonous milkweed in its larval
stage and lays its eggs on the milkweed plant. Monarchs are known to have a
wingspan of three to four inches.
Stages
of development
Egg
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The Monarch starts life as an egg laid by the female to the underside of a milkweed leaf using quick- drying glue like material. It is about 1/8 inch long. The egg hatches in about three to five days. |
Larva
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The Monarch larva hatches from its egg and eats it. Then it eats milkweed leaves almost constantly. It eats large amounts of food. The larva looses its skin four times as it grows. When the larva is about 2 inches long, it stops eating and attaches itself to a thin branch. |
Pupa
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The pupa stage is a magical stage where the caterpillar will transform and the insect’s body parts are created. The pupa is green with tiny points of gold that look like fasteners. |
Adult
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The monarch adult is bright orange with black wing veins. The body is black with white spots. It can travel easily and will mate and lay eggs. |
Food butterflies eat
Adult butterflies can only sip fluid through a straw like device called a proboscis. This proboscis is much like a strong tongue which the butterfly unfurls to sip food then curls back up again.
Protection from harm
Animals that eat a Monarch get sick, but don’t die, because the butterfly is poisonous. The animals remember the brightly-colored butterfly and don’t eat it in the future.
Parts of the body
Monarchs have only three body parts: the head, thorax (chest) and abdomen (the tail end). They have four wings and six legs that are attached to the thorax.
Body of the Monarch Butterfly