G3-The Long Journey of the Monarch Lowerlevel-02

It’s a warm summer day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You and your family are at a local park. You see a beautiful butterfly flying around a nearby bush. Your mother tells you this is a Monarch butterfly. The Monarch lands next to a colored group of bristly-looking flowers. You wonder what will happen to it when winter comes. What will it do when the flowers are no longer on the plants?

Monarchs are like some grandparents because Monarchs head south for the winter. They travel south for more food. Monarchs travel towards the south during the fall. Monarchs travel a long way to find food.

These warm climates down south are a great place to spend the winter. There is lots of food. Butterflies find a partner while traveling. In the spring, the females head back north. The females lay their eggs on milkweed plants. Soon the eggs hatch. The young caterpillars begin to eat the plant’s leaves. They grow fast. The caterpillars are ready to begin to transform into a butterfly.

This process is called metamorphosis and takes about a month to complete. The caterpillar will find a leaf or branch to stay on. They then create a hard shell around itself. The shell is green with shiny golden dots. The shell changes colors until it is clear. A monarch butterfly will hatch after 9 to 15 days. The butterfly’s wings are folded against it body. The wings must open and dry before they are ready to fly.