Why Do Monarch Butterflies Move

The monarch butterfly, as known as Danaus plexippus, is often called the milkweed butterfly because its larvae eat the milkweed plant. They are also sometimes called "royalty butterflies" because their family name comes from the daughter of Danaus, ruler of Argos. There are many other interesting facts about this butterfly including its anatomy and life cycle, where the butterfly lies on the food chain, the migration from Canada to Mexico, why the butterfly is being threatened, and lastly, what is being done to help the butterfly.

     The monarch butterfly, as known as Danaus plexippus, is often called the milkweed butterfly because its larvae eat the milkweed plant. They are also sometimes called "royalty butterflies" because their family name comes from the daughter of Danaus, ruler of Argos. There are many other interesting facts about this butterfly including its anatomy and life cycle, where the butterfly lies on the food chain, the migration from Canada to Mexico, why the butterfly is being threatened, and lastly, what is being done to help the butterfly.

Sadly, the monarch butterflies are drastically decreasing due to the fact that the plant they need to survive, the milkweed plant, is slowly but surely diminishing.

The setting in the two novels plays important roles in both of the plots. In The Butterfly Revolution, the setting shifts in the very beginning of the story. In the journal Winston Weyn receives for his birthday from his uncle, he describes his home. Winston also shares with us that from his parents he half-heartedly accepted a trip to High Pines for the summer. Winston was not like most boys, and instead of playing baseball and doing things that most boys do, he read books. This bothered his brother Howard, which just encouraged Winston to read more and more. His father and mother, both concerned, had multiple talks with Winston but none of these talks resulted in anything. “And here I am, sitting on a thin and kind of smelly narrow mattress on my bunk in a cabin at High Pines” (22). He went from the comfort of his own bed to the smelly mattress of High Pines. The central conflict of the story begins at the camp. This shift of setting allows the real story to begin. Later in the novel, the setting shifts again. Some of the boys begin to venture off into the girls camp, or Low Pines. After the revolution has begun, they take over the girl camp, also. If the girls’ camp was not involved, two out of the three deaths would have been prevented. John Mason would not have died under the

The monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico and some parts of Southern California where

The other birds use the prairie grass for their habitat (National Park Service, 2015a). If the prairie grass were to get replaced by some other type of plant or get removed from farming, then the habitat of those birds is now destroyed. The butterfly distribution depends upon the presence of appropriate host plants, which in turn vary according to local soil, moisture, temperature, and elevation (National Park Service, 2015a).

The monarch butterfly travels long distances to get to their nesting grounds. The monarch’s migration takes a total of 3000 miles. Their nesting grounds is located in the Sierra

The eastern flutters of monarch butterflies are thought to be in danger, thanks to natural disasters in Mexico and there not being enough milkweed in their summer nesting grounds(National Geographic). Global warming and loss of habitat also effect the migratory patterns and the rainfall(National Wildlife Federation).  “In 1996, the Mexican government created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve to protect monarch’s wintering habitat(US Fish and Wildlife

Migration-Monarchs spend their winter hibernation in mexico and southern california where it is hot all year long because their fragile bodies can’t withstand the cold.Also, the larval food plants do not grow in their winter overwintering sites, so the spring generation must fly back north to places where the plants are plentiful.

The life cycle of a monarch battleflies is divided in four stages. This stages are egg, caterpillar, pupa and adult. In stage one female monarch lay their egg in the bottom of the leaf near the top of the plan. Eggs hatch about four days after they are lay. Each egg is surrounded by a hard outer shell, called a chorion to protect the developing larva. In stage two the egg hatches into a Caterpillar. They start their life by eating their eggshells, then move into their host plant. During this stage the caterpillar eat a lot when it became too big for it skin, it molts oxin in the milkweed that they eat. After the caterpillar has eaten enough monarch larvae spin a silk mat from which they hang upside down. The entire larval stage in monarchs

“However, some species in the hummingbird family live in the Sonoran Desert of North America pollinating a variety of cactus and other plants” (National Geographic Society, 2016). The importance of keystone species keeps the ecosystem balanced and controlled. Also, the disappearance

Ocotillo is part of the Fouquieria family, and it is usually find in desert environments. The natural habitat for this specie is usually in hot and dry weathers, rocky slopes and drained soil. Some of the aspects that can limit the growth and survival of Ocotillo are herbivory predation and pollination by hummingbirds and native birds. Herbivory predation by insects and animals can affect the growth and survival of the Ocotillo by decreasing the amount of leaf, in which the process of photosynthesis provides energy to the plant. Other important factor is pollination because ocotillo flowers are pollinated by hummingbird and bees, and a significant amount of the population of these two species are considered threatened or either endangered

Monarch butterflies will travel thousands of kilometers in order to reach Mexico for hibernation. They are able to reach this goal by the relative position of the sun to provide them a sense of

A Pale Grass Blue Butterfly’s wings flit through the forest outside Pripyat, Ukraine. With its pulsating wings, there is something eerie in the air. Except for the sound, the butterfly doesn’t sense the peculiar aura as he skips across the pallid landscape. Not the presence of sound, but the lack of sound; not tranquil, but chilling. Life here seems to be covered by an impenetrable film of gray; melancholy extending the entire thirty-kilometer radius around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The struggling butterfly aligns itself with the dismal scenery to create an abhorrent disparity. The butterfly also provides a startling metaphor. Just as the wings beat to the theoretical concepts of the butterfly effect, so do the repercussions of the Chernobyl disaster. With every pulse comes a new tragedy, extending perpetually into the future for “at least 20,000 years” (Harrell 1). Today, nuclear power is considered a potential alternative to fossil fuels. Nuclear power generation should cease immediately because previous incidents have already caused irreparable damage, catastrophes are inevitable, and nuclear power is not a viable long-term source of energy.

Climate changes affect ecosystems by altering the water cycle, natural habitats and leading to the changes in food sources, animal migration and the timing of natural processes such as flowering. Disruption of the ecosystems increase the risk of extinction for many species. Animals and plants need to adapt to the environmental change on a fast and bigger scale which put great danger to those species. Changes that disrupt the functioning of ecosystems may increase the risk of harm or even extinction for some species. According to the National Audubon Society (2014), the winter center of abundance of the 305 north American bird species moved northward by over 40 miles between 1966 and 2013. This moving is closely related to the higher winter temperatures. Nearly 50 species moved northward over 200 miles.