Follow the Monarch Butterfly's life cycle

You may have witnessed monarchs mating. The male butterfly chases the female and they appear to dance together in tight circles. The male forces the female to the ground.

To mate - the male and female butterflies join abdomens. The male leaves a packet of sperm in the female. The female butterfly uses the sperm to fertilize her eggs. Monarch Reproduction Facts

Pheromones are the special chemicals that animals, including many butterflies, give off to attract a mate. Interestingly, entomologists believe Monarch Butterflies DO NOT use pheromones for mating.

Adult female Monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on the undersides of the milkweed plants leaves.

The butterfly curves her abdomen in an arc and touches the leaf. Her ovipositor (reproductive organ) places one egg on the leaf. It sticks to the leaf.

Milkweed plants are called its host plant.

Next page

Resources / About Milkweed plants / Main page

Participate in Monitoring Monarch Larval Monitoring Project

Learn about butterflies - off site

The female butterfly depositing an egg

Click on the photo 2 times for a very close look.

How do the butterflies find the milkweed? off site

Monarch Butterflies Q&A with Dr. Karen Oberhauser, Ecologist

Movie on life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly.
By kids for kids. Outstanding!

To view the movie you must have the QuickTime Player installed. It is free at
http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/ both Mac and PC versions.

ID'ing Activity | Symmetry in nature