We studied Monarch Butterflies in our Autumn unit study. A couple of weeks ago when we were leaving church I saw some on the bushes near our car. Mike was able to capture some photos that I thought turned out awesome. I told Nadia that it was like a little gift from God to be able to see them in real life right before we did our study.
Here are some things we learned that I found interesting.
- The orange coloring on the Monarch’s wings makes animals and birds throw up if they are eaten. So many birds have learned to avoid them.
- Monarchs come out with huge abdomens filled with liquid. They move all the liquid into their wings to make them larger then sit still for a few hours for their wings to harden. Then they are able to fly.
- Monarchs born in the spring only live 3 months.
- Monarchs born in the summer live 9 months and they are the ones that migrate in the fall and spend the winter in Mexico and other protected southern areas.
