Animal Facts:
The monarch butterfly is also called the milkweed butterfly, common tiger butterfly, wanderer butterfly and black-veined brown butterfly. Its wings feature a black, orange and white pattern while as a caterpillar it has yellow, white and black stripes.
In both the caterpillar and butterfly forms, monarchs are aposematic, which means that they ward off predators, such as birds, mice, beetles and wasps, with a bright display of contrasting colours, which warns them that they taste bad and are poisonous.
The monarch butterfly undergoes four stages of metamorphosis. The first stage is the egg stage. Eggs are laid on the underside of milkweed leaves during the spring and summer.
The second stage is the larval stage: the larvae, which are called caterpillars, hatch from the eggs. They feed on the milkweed for about two weeks, growing and moulting several times during this process, with the milkweed making them poisonous (not just as caterpillars but also as butterflies, as they store these toxins within themselves).
The poison – cardiac glycosides – rarely leads to their predator’s death, but it doesn’t taste pleasant and causes nausea. Thus predators, having tasted the caterpillar or butterfly, will avoid eating them in the future.
The third stage is the pupal, or chrysalis, stage. In this stage, the caterpillar chooses a safe place for pupation and spins a silk pad, called a chrysalis, around itself. During this stage the adult butterfly forms inside the chrysalis by basically digesting itself, releasing enzymes that dissolve all its tissues before using the proteins to form the butterfly. This metamorphosis takes about one to two weeks.
The fourth stage is the adult butterfly stage: when it emerges from the chrysalis, it hangs upside down for a few hours until its wings are dry and it can fly off.
The adult butterfly feeds on a variety of plants. Since it cannot bite, it drinks nectar through its long tongue, which is called a proboscis.
Monarch butterflies have a great sense of sight and can see in the ultraviolet range.
They mostly communicate by using scents, though. Males attract females, for example, by releasing chemicals from scent glands on their hindwings.
When mating, a male butterfly transfers not only his spermatophore to a female but also nutrition alongside it, which aids her in egg laying.
A female monarch can lay more than 1,000 eggs over its lifetime, which usually only lasts two to six weeks. However, the last generation of the year can live as long as eight to nine months.
This last generation, which hatches in late summer, delays sexual maturity and goes into what is called reproductive diapause so that they can migrate in the autumn and overwinter in the south.
The monarch butterfly expends less energy on flying than the average butterfly. It only flaps its wings around 5 to 12 times per second, while other butterflies flap their wings 20 times per second. It is thus one of the rare insects able to migrate.
The monarch butterflies that live in the US travel up to 4,800 kilometres to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. There they cluster together, covering whole tree trunks and branches while waiting for spring.
Around March, the overwintering monarchs then begin their journey back north.
Once this migration begins, monarchs become sexually mature and the females begin their search for milkweed plants on which to lay eggs.
After mating and laying eggs, the adult butterflies die, and their offspring continue the northward migration. It takes three to five generations until they’re back at their starting point. Often, they even return to the same plants on which their ancestors hatched.
The monarchs know the correct direction to migrate, even though they have never made the journey themselves. They do this by following an internal magnetic compass that points them in the right direction each spring and autumn.
Finally, a rarely known fact is that there’s an easy way to tell male and female monarch butterflies apart. Because the males have two black spots in the centre of their hindwings, which females lack. These spots are the scent glands that produce pheromones to attract females.
Some spiritual meanings:
If a butterfly flutters into your life, pay close attention to the areas that need transfor-mation.
What changes are occurring at the moment? Is there anything you want or need to alter?
Don’t skip any important steps while doing so.
Also, the butterfly undergoes four main stages of metamorpho-sis. Thus, the number 4 might hold great significance for you.
Butterflies are connected to different elements during their stages. As a caterpillar, they’re connected to the earth, while the air is the element of the adult butterfly.
You can create big changes in your physical reality and emerge better at the end by changing how you think.
Cocoons are a symbol of safety and retreat.
Do you feel safe?
Or are you in need of more introspection?
Retreat to a safe place when you feel overwhelmed. But don’t stay in your comfort zone forever. You need to venture out and spread your wings to fly.
The monarch’s colourful wings represent joy and positivity, and the butterfly also appears to dance when it flies.
Do you allow yourself to have enough fun? Do you extract the sweetness of life?
Or do you take things too seriously?
Lighten up. It’s time to express your colourful personality.
You could also use dance to get stagnant energy moving.
The monarch butterfly warns predators off with its bright colours.
Do you say things clearly? Are you being heard? And are your boundaries respected?
Also, orange is the colour of the sacral chakra. Work with this chakra especially.
The antennae of the butterfly are a symbol of being connected to source.
Can you hear your higher self clearly? Listen to your intuition.
The monarch travels over long distances.
It reminds us that we’re on a long journey of the soul and that we aren’t the same person as when we started out.
When migrating, monarch butterflies land in the same trees as their ancestors did.
Just as monarchs have a cellular memory of their ancestors’ wisdom, you can tap into ancient knowledge. Access the akashic records if you need to.
Like bees, butterflies are pollinators – they are essential to life on Earth.
You might have an important role to play and can impact other people greatly.
More to discover:
If you want to read up on more spirit animals or want to learn more about spiritual topics in general, pick up a copy of my two-book series “Willow and Strix” ©, available as paperback or ebook (free for kindle unlimited users) US – UK – DE and in other countries
A. Wakan's Spirit Animals 