Biodiversity and Butterflies: Lesson 1

Do you know what kind of butterfly this is?

Have you ever seen a monarch butterfly in real life?

The female monarch butterfly lays each of her eggs individually on the leaf of a milkweed plant, attaching it with a bit of glue she secretes. A female usually lays between 300 and 500 eggs over a two- to five-week period.

What plant do monarchs lay their eggs on?

After a few days, the eggs hatch into larvae, otherwise known as caterpillars in the moth and butterfly world. The caterpillars’ main job is to grow, so they spend most of their time eating. They only eat milkweed, which is why the female laid her eggs on milkweed leaves in the first place.

What plant do monarch caterpillars eat?

Summarize the ways that a monarch relies on milkweed to survive by finishing this sentence:

Monarch butterflies use milkweed to / for.....