Photo: Laura Luekens/MJV
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Join SAFE Monarch at AZA Annual Conference, September 14th, 1-3 PM!
The SAFE North American Monarch Program is the only insect focused program under the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's Saving Animals from Extinction conservation efforts.
The migratory populations of monarch butterflies have experienced dramatic declines over recent decades much like other insect populations.
The SAFE Monarch program aims to address challenges by leading new conservation efforts for AZA institutions through developing partnerships, building significant community engagement action and modeling the increased use of native flora.
The Monarch
The Monarch
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is an iconic and widespread brush-footed butterfly (Family: Nymphalidae). It is one of the most recognizable insects in the world with its relatively large orange, black, and white wings. North American monarch butterflies are divided into two major populations: the Western population, found west of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern population, found east of the Rocky Mountains.
Photo: Katie-Lyn Bunney/MJV
The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis
Monarch butterflies are nectar generalists as adults and their larvae feed on milkweeds (Asclepias spp. and closely related species). The larvae are also easily recognizable and iconic with their black, white, and yellow stripes, and go through five developmental stages called instars before pupating and forming a brilliant green and gold chrysalis. It is within the chrysalis or pupa that the larval tissues reorganize into the adult life stage. The chrysalis becomes transparent immediately before the adult insect emerges, revealing the orange and black color pattern of the wings.
The Migration
The Migration
The range of each population expands and contracts seasonally, and the insects overwinter as adults in high-density aggregations within their respective ranges. Each fall, a single generation will migrate to the overwintering grounds (Central California for the Western population and the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico for the Eastern population). An individual butterfly may travel over 3,000 miles as part of the eastern population migration, making it one of the longest insect migrations in the world.
Photo: Wendy Caldwell/MJV
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