Museum Monarchs

This summer the museum has been fortunate enough to get to raise local monarch caterpillars, come on in to see them at different stages of their life! Just about everyday over the next few weeks we will have butterflies emerging from their chrysalides. We are not experts, but have been following rearing guidelines from the Monarch Joint Venture, and took a course through the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. 

Common Name: Monarch Butterflies
Scientific Name: Danaus Plexippus
Group Name: Flutter

Fun Facts

• The record of eggs laid in captivity is 1179
• They are the state insect in 5 US states
• They use the sun to stay on course while migrating but also have an internal magnetic compass
• Milkweed contains toxins that make the caterpillars and later on, the butterflies toxic to predators
• The Viceroy butterfly mimics the monarch to survive-they are not toxic
• The name "monarch" is thought to be after King William III of England, after his secondary title Prince of Orange

Eggs

• A female butterfly will lay eggs individually on the bottom of milkweed leaves
• In the wild 300-500 will be laid over 2-5 weeks
• In captivity they average at about 700
• When hatched the caterpillars will eat the egg sac and later on shed their skin 5 times eating that as well
• The egg will start to turn black when ready to hatch

Caterpillars

• They only eat milkweed
• They will eat for roughly 2 weeks, gaining 2700 times their original weight
• When ready to form a chrysalis they will form a 'J' shape and then transform shortly after
• They will spend a week or two in the chrysalis they form
• When ready to emerge, the chrysalis will get dark, you can see the wing outline

​Butterflies

• Depending on when they complete their metamorphosis,            determines what they do          
• Spring/Early Summer = Start Reproducing (Could live only 2-6 weeks)
• Late Summer/Fall = Time to head South (Could live 6-8 months)
• You can determine sex by two black dots on their wings

 
 Migration in the East

• They will head to central Mexico
• 3,000 miles
• Will wait out the winter on Oyamel Fir trees
• When it gets warmer they will slowly make their way north again, laying eggs along the way (This could take up to 5 generations)

Migration in the West

• They will head to the California coast
• Once spring hits, they will go out to other western states

 


 
 

If you would like to check out videos of a caterpillar forming a chrysalis or a butterfly emerging from it's chrysalis please check out our Facebook page!

https://fb.watch/7jOE4hL7xU/
https://fb.watch/7jOCavi0sp/