Most school
children in the
United States have at least a passing familiarity
with the monarch butterfly. It is that beautiful critter
seen flitting around gardens with its orange wings with
black veins and margins. There are white and orange
spots sprinkled around the wings which may span up to 4
inches.
The adults spend
their time sipping nectar from flowers while their
colorful caterpillars
eat a diet of milkweed leaves. The
caterpillars feed for about 10 days and then form a coccon (chrysalis) which is jade green in color with
gold trim. About 12 days later, the adult butterfly
emerges. There may be up to 4 different generations
developed in one year.
In the fall, this
strange critter begins would could be as much as a 2,000
mile migration to the south. Some of them head to
Northern Mexico while others end up on the coast of
Central and Southern California. In the spring, the new
generation makes the return trip to their northern
grounds.
