Frequently Asked Questions Students Ask and Experts Answer Contributed by Monarch Expert Dr. Karen Oberhauser   Ask the Expert By Topic Characteristics size weight body systems senses communication physiology other physical characteristics Life Cycle longevity birth and growth reproduction and young heredity parenting behavior Ecology habitat and range niche food enemies adaptations migration populations distribution ecosystems Conservation human impacts threats:habitat loss, conservation status historic population size conservation efforts, etc By Year 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Characteristics How small is the monarch butterfly? How much does a monarch butterfly weigh? How do you tell the male monarch from the female? Why do only male monarchs have a big black spot on their wings? Why do the females have thicker wing veins? Can monarch butterflies fly in the rain? How do Monarchs keep dry if it rains, and how do they dry their wings and what happens to them if they get wet? Since the wings are thin how come they don't wear out? About how many scales can fall off before the monarch has to stop flying? How should we handle the wings? How many times do their wings flap in a minute? Why do they fly like they're dizzy (referring to erratic flight)? What kind of tags are used on the butterflies, so as not to weigh them down? Can monarchs hear? How do monarchs breathe? Do monarchs breath in their chrysalis, and if they do, how do they? If they don't, why don't they need air? Do monarch butterflies have brains? How do monarch butterflies excrete? Can butterflies overheat if it gets too hot? At what temperature is it too cold for monarchs to fly? Is it true that monarchs can only see one color? Are butterflies nocturnal or diurnal? Do monarchs sleep or do they just rest? Where do they go and what do they do at night? How do their internal clocks work? Do monarch butterflies communicate with each other? How? What kinds of things would they communicate about? Is anyone studying their communication? Back to Top Life Cycle How long do adult monarch butterflies live? How many inches are the eggs of a monarch butterfly? How many eggs the monarchs have in one time? What is the most eggs a monarch butterfly has ever laid? Do the butterflies die after they lay their eggs? How do they know which plant is a milkweed? Can a female monarch have babies without the help of the male? If the female mates and is ready to lay her eggs and can't locate milkweed plants, what does she do? Does she lay them on any plant she finds? If that is so, what becomes of the caterpillars? How long is a monarch caterpillar (larva)? Can you tell the differance between a male and female monarch when they are in the larval state? How do the gold spots on the chrysalis form? When the newly emerged adult monarch pumps fluid from the abdomen into the wings, does the fluid remain a liquid in the veins or do the veins of the wings become solid after awhile? How does a Monarch Butterfly know how to fly right away when it hatches out of its chrysalis? Is there any difference between chrysalid and a chrysalis? How is the gold formed in a chrysalis and why? What happens to all of the butterflies who do not mate? Do they die sooner or live longer? What percentage of monarchs make it to the migratory stage? We understand that the Monarch shuts down the reproductive cycle before migrating to Mexico. How does this happen? What starts up reproduction again in Mexico, before the butterfly migrates in the spring? When rearing monarchs, what do you recommend for a cage? Back to Top Ecology Food What do monarch butterflies eat? What color is nectar? Is it always the same color for each flower or does it change colors? How do monarchs eat? Where does the Monarch Butterfly fit in the food web is it is considered poisonous by its predators due to the fact that it eats milkweed? Do the males look for food more than the females? Back to Top Monarch Butterfly Enemies What is the name of the poison in the monarch butterfly's body and how potent is it? Are there any that can and do regularly eat monarch butterflies or catepillars? What are some invertebrate predators of the monarch and why are they able to eat the monarch since birds can't? If the monarch butterfly is toxic to the two predator birds, what effect does the toxins have on the mice predators? Approximately how long does it take predators' bodies to eliminate/reduce the toxin levels to a safe level or to where they can eat again? Approximately how long does it take predators' bodies to eliminate/reduce the toxin levels to a safe level or to where they can eat again? Do butterflies in the north have a differnt chemical makeup because milkweed they eat is different from the southern milkweed? What is the most abundant kind of milkweed in the U.S. and in Mexico? Do bees sting monarch pupae? Do you have any concerns about rearing monarchs and diseases? Back to Top Habitat and Distribution Where is the best place to find a Monarch Butterfly in the summer? I know that the monarchs spend the winter in the mountains of Mexico, but why don't they live in the Rocky Mountains in the summer? Do Monarch Butterflies live only in North America? If so, Why? Do monarchs live in other parts of the world besides Mexico and the USA? Are there different types of monarchs? Are there monarchs living on other continents? In Mexico, would monarch butterflies survive when there is snow on the ground? Why do monarchs hang in trees? How many butterflies died in Mexico during the freeze and is this going to effect their population and future survival? Are there any oyamel trees anywhere in the US? What tree are they most similar to that can be compared to an oyamel tree in the US? What kind of trees do they overwinter in, when they are in California? Back to Top   Migration Overview Behavioral Adaptations: Migration What tells the monarch butterfly to migrate? How are monarchs able to fly so far and know where to go? How long does it take a monarch to fly from Washington, DC to Angangueo, Mexico? Where do they store fat on their journey to Mexico and back? Why do they take the same route to Mexico and back? How far do they fly in a day? How do they travel such far distances? How do monarchs know where to go? When the monarchs go to Mexico how do they know where they are going? How do they know their way back up north? Why do monarch butterflies migrate and not hibernate? If monarchs did hibernate, how much food would they have to eat in order to survive the winter? How do the Monarch butterflies know that Arizona is a northerly direction? How many Monarchs travel together at the same time and how do they travel such far distances? Why didn't the Monarchs go to Arizona when they left Mexico rather than going to Texas? Why didn't the Monarchs go to Arizona when they left Mexico rather than going to Texas? Do monarchs get lost during migration? Can butterflies travel over the ocean, and could butterflies land on water? Do monarchs have scent glands, and do they use scent markings to guide their migration North? How far do monarchs travel in one generation? Back to Top Conservation 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? What steps is the Mexican government taking to stop the destruction of oyamel trees in Mexico? Are there laws protecting monarchs and their enviroments?   This Season Teachers Kids Orientation Registration Search Copyright 1997-2009 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us.