Butterflies topic at garden club meeting
RICES LANDING – Do you know the difference between the Monarch and the Viceroy butterfly?
Do butterflies travel by way of the jet stream when migrating?
These were some of the questions answered at the August meeting of the Town and Country Garden Club by the pictorial presentation of Betty Robison.
Robison’s presentation, “A Day in the Life of a Butterfly,” presented many facts about butterflies, including the four stages in the life cycle of the butterfly: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, as well as its habitat, food sources and migration.
The Viceroy has a black line crossing the postmedian hindwing, is slightly smaller than the Monarch, and does not migrate as does the Monarch. Monarchs travel up to 3,000 miles and their most common destination is the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. Monarchs cannot flap their wings for the extensive flight so they ride the jet stream winds.
Continuing research tries to answer the questions as to how the new Monarchs emerge in the United States know when and where to migrate since the adults perish and only the new ones migrate.
Because many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved over time and depend on each other for survival and reproduction, it is particularly important to plant native flowering plants local to your geographic area. Native plants provide butterflies with the nectar or foliage they need as caterpillars and adults.