Monarchs & Migrants - Ontario Parks Blog
Ontario Trails Events
| Event: | Monarchs & Migrants - Ontario Parks Blog |
| Trail: | Presqu'ile Promise Cycling Loop |
| Date: | 2021-06-13 to 2021-09-13 |
| Abstract: | Discover the world on Monarch Butterflies and migrants birds by taking part in nature walks, bird banding, monarch tagging and much more at Ontario Parks Blog. |
| Type: | Natural Heritage |
| Time: | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
| Location: | Presqu'ile Provincial Park 328 Presqu'ile Parkway Brighton Ontario K0K 1H0 Directions |
| Online URL: | http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/monarch-butterflies/ |
| Cost: | $ 0.00 |
Monarch Butterflies
Today’s post was written by summer student Danielle Bullen from Rondeau Provincial Park.
It’s that time of year again, and across Ontario, we’re starting to see those beautiful orange and black wings.
Monarch Butterflies come all the way from Mexico over a few generations, depending on the amount of milkweed available during their travels, spending summer here in Ontario.
From egg to chrysalis
Monarch females (the ones without dark spots on their wings) lay, on average, 700 eggs over two to five weeks in August. These eggs are about the size of a pinhead!
Monarchs lay their eggs on Common Milkweed plants, usually on the underside of the leaves. They tend to only lay one egg on a single milkweed. After about four days, the monarch caterpillars hatch from their eggs.
Throughout their 10-14 days as larvae, these caterpillars grow to 3,000 times their weight and shed their skin five times. Funnily enough, their skin is part of the food that makes them multiply in weight.
