By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
Up close they are such delicate creatures, their bright orange wings outlined in black and accented with white spots. But when they migrate by the millions each year — from Canada through the United States and most to a specific mountainous region of Mexico and back – monarch butterflies become one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles.
Their tiny brains are hard-wired with biological clocks, and their eyes detect ultraviolet light variations to guide them. Every year, generations of the beautiful monarchs travel from 1,200 to 2,800 miles to their winter and summer habitats. Because most adults only live four weeks, they only travel part of the way. Then their offspring continue the trek, and on and on until they reach their habitats.
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June 19th, 2009
By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
Monarch butterflies can be found in every continental state in America. Seven states have even named the monarch their “state insect,” according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
That’s good news for those who would like to create a backyard space to attract monarchs as they make their way north or south for their long annual migrations.
The first step is a to do a little research to learn what monarchs and other butterflies are fluttering around your community. Books can provide information, but lepidopterists (people who collect and study butterflies and moths) or butterfly organizations in your area also will have details.
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Related Topics: · attracting monarch butterflies, flowers and monarch butterflies, milkweed and monarch butterflies, monarch, monarch butterflies, monarch butterfly gardens
