An abundance of eggs found on our milkweed in June has resulted in an abundance of Monarchs eclosing this week. Eleven flew away on Monday, and eleven more today.
When they first eclose, we leave them hanging vertically from the empty chrysalis while they inflate their wings...
When they emerge in the morning, they like to hang from the east-facing screen porch screen. In the early afternoon we have found that a thistle feeder (for finches) gives them an excellent grip surface and allows them time to harden those wings and charge their solar batteries before taking flight.
It never ceases to amaze me how a creature that ever since it popped out of an egg has only crawled on a milkweed plant can now soak up some sun and then tell itself "I guess these wing things are ready" and then... fly. Typically first flapping and maybe circling higher, then setting those wings out sideways and soaring. And then within a short time a creature with the structure and weight of a used Kleenex can (mirabile dictu!) fly upwind.
One last photo. One doesn't often get to see the underside of the wing up close, but when butterflies first eclose they are quite docile and don't mind sitting for a portrait. This is a nice view:
How fantastic! At this time of the year are they flying north or south when they leave you?
ReplyDeleteAt this time of year, Monarchs are not migratory (and there's no need to migrate; food is abundant here and the weather mostly clement). These Monarchs disseminate in various directions and mate and reproduce in the Midwest (up as far as Canada). Their offspring may do the same.
DeleteIt is the generations that are born in late summer and early autumn that are programmed to head south. I presume the genetic "trigger" doesn't skip generations, but rather that all of them carry the migratory instinct (and direction to go), but that it isn't "triggered" until the height of the sun in the sky is low, indicating the onset of autumn.
Thank you for the explanation. I did try to find the info before asking the question, but nothing that I read made it clear that there are generations that don't migrate. They really are amazing creatures.
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