The monarch butterfly goes through four life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly. As a caterpillar, it eats swan plant leaves which make it toxic to protect it from predators. It then forms a chrysalis and undergoes metamorphosis to emerge as an adult butterfly. The short-lived butterfly will then lay eggs on swan plants to restart the cycle. The monarch butterfly is known for its long annual migration patterns in North America, while in New Zealand they do not migrate far from where they hatch.

1. The Monarch Butterfly
All about the Monarch butterfly.
By Gina Grant.

2. Life Cycle
The monarch butterfly has 4 stages to its life
cycle.
It starts it’s life as an egg, then turns into a
caterpillar, before becoming a pupa and finally
transforming into a butterfly.
Lets learn more about each stage of its life
cycle…

3. Stage 1… The Egg.
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the
underside of swan plants. They are about the
size of a pin head and it takes the eggs 4 to 5
days to hatch into caterpillars.

4. Stage 2… The caterpillar (or larvae.)
When the caterpillar hatches it is very small, but over the
next 10 to 15 days it eats and eats the swan plant, so that
it gets nice and plump in preparation for the next stage in
its life-cycle -turning into a pupa.
The caterpillar will shed its outer skin 4 to 5 times as it
grows.

5. This caterpillar has formed a ‘J’ shape…
Why do you think?

6. Stage 3… The pupa
The caterpillar will find a place to attach itself so that it can start the
process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf
using silk and transform into a pupa.
Caterpillars will then spin a silk cocoon around themselves to enter
the pupa stage.
All insects go through a series of changes as they mature -called
metamorphosis. This unlike mammals, where the young are born as
‘miniature’ adults.

7. Stage 3… The pupa
Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the pupa phase
seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a
time of rapid change. Within the pupa the old body parts of
the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation,
called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that
make up the butterfly that will emerge.

8. From pupa to butterfly…

9. Stage 4… The Butterfly
When the butterfly hatches from its pupa, it hangs upside
down to dry its wings and make them strong.
Once the wings are dry it will fly away and feed on flower
nectar with its straw like mouth.

10. Starting the life-cycle again
The adult monarch butterfly has a short life which is only
about two to six weeks long.
The monarch butterfly will die after laying eggs to restart the
life-cycle again.

11. The life-cycle…

12. Marvelous Monarch Facts…
Did you know that the swan plant is actually
toxic, so when the caterpillars eat them they
are less likely to be eaten by their predators
(ants, praying mantis, birds and wasps) as the
predators themselves will become sick if they
do! -What a great tactic to try and avoid
being eaten!

13. Marvelous Monarch Facts…
You can tell the difference between a
male and a female monarch butterfly by
its markings.
The male has two small black scent sacks
and thinner wing veins as compared to a
female.

14. Marvelous Monarch Facts…
Although monarch butterflies in America migrate
thousands of kilometers each winter, here is New Zealand
it has been found that they usually don’t fly more than 20
kilometers.
Below is a picture of a cluster of monarch butterflies on a
tree in California.

15. Marvelous Monarch Facts…
Originally from America, the monarch butterfly
has spread both naturally and by human
intervention throughout the Pacific, Australia,
parts of Southeast Asia, and to islands in the
Atlantic. It is not known how monarchs first
arrived in New Zealand but they have been
here since at least the mid 1870s.

16. Marvelous Monarch Facts…
Monarch butterflies can fly at a speed of 10-45
kilometers per hour!
Monarch caterpillars can lay up to 500 eggs at a
time!
Monarch caterpillars eat the swan plant leaves,
whilst the butterflies drink flower nectar through
their straw like mouths!

17. Photos of the Monarch

18. The Birth of a Monarch Butterfly…
If you would like to watch a short video
clip of The Birth of a Monarch Butterfly
click on this link.