Live Breaking News & Updates on Live Science Close

Monarch butterfly: Facts about the iconic migratory insects
Erin Banks Rusby
With their bright orange hues and lengthy migration, monarch butterflies (
Danaus plexippus) are one of the world s most iconic insects. But their population has steadily dropped in recent decades as they face habitat loss and other threats.
Monarch butterfly life cycle
Monarchs go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. 
They can mate several times, sometimes for 16 hours at a time, after which the female immediately starts laying eggs on milkweed plants, according to Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), a non-profit partnership of organizations that facilitate monarch conservation. Monarch eggs are about the size of a pinhead and are football shaped, with vertical ridges, said Laura Lukens, the national monitoring coordinator for. The eggs are off-white to yellow in color.  ....

Michigan State University , United States , Bolivian Andes , Bolivia General , Rocky Mountains , Canada General , Laura Lukens , University Of Wisconsin , Xerces Society For Invertebrate Conservation , Us Forest Service , National Wildlife Federation , Journal Of The Linnean Society , University Of Michigan , Live Science Close , Monarch Joint Venture , National Wildlife , South America , North America , North American , Biological Journal , Xerces Society , Invertebrate Conservation , மிச்சிகன் நிலை பல்கலைக்கழகம் , ஒன்றுபட்டது மாநிலங்களில் , பொலிவியன் அண்டெஸ் , பாறை மலைகள் ,