Monarchs, like other butterflies and moths, undergo complete metamorphosis, meaning that they have an egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult stage. The egg and caterpillar stages occur only on species of milkweed (genus Asclepias) whereas adults survive by nectaring on a variety of flowering plants
monarch life cycleFemale monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants since monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. The milkweed plant provides both food and shelter for a caterpillar about two weeks (dependent on temperature), while it eats most of the time , pausing only to shed its skin. The period between each shedding of the skin, or molt, is called an instar. Monarchs have five larval instars and grow to almost 2000 times their original mass.
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A late fifth instar monarch will crawl away from the milkweed plant it was feeding on to find a secure location where it forms a silk pad and hangs upside down in a J shape before shedding its skin one last time to expose the bright green chrysalis. In 8 to 15 days, an adult emerges, pumps fluid to its wings to give them shape, and spends several hours drying before it is ready to go off to find nectar or a mate.
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Dissemination and Germination
Dissemination-the act of spreading something, especially information, widely; circulation.
Germination-is the process by which a plant grows from a seed. When milkweed goes to seed in the Fall, the seeds take aloft on their down, and finally land, working their way to the soil surface during the rains of the Fall. And there the seed will rest, and not germinate until Spring. Even if there is a warm spell. Why? To keep it safe during the Winter. If it germinates in the fall, and the seedling is very young, small and tender when the freezes do come, the tender roots will not survive. How does it do this? There are enzymes in the papery seed coat that inhibit germination. That enzyme breaks down over the Winter, and the seed can grow at last, in the Spring when temperatures are sufficient. Germinating in the Spring, it has all Summer to establish roots.
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