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4 weeks ago
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RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Monarch butterflies have been flitting through the Valley recently on their spring migration from the highlands of Mexico to northern realms as distant as Canada.
The strikingly elegant butterflies with richly hued orange wings rimmed in satiny black glisten like stained glass and are regarded by some as the most beautiful of butterflies…hence the name monarch.
Monarchs make migratory stops in South Texas to lay some of the first generations of eggs that are hatching now and will help complete their unique multi-generational migration.
It only takes some four days for eggs to hatch, and if you happen to have milkweed in your yard then you have probably noticed the vivid yellow and black striped caterpillars. They are voracious eaters, gaining 2,700 times their original weight in two weeks of almost nonstop munching.
At two inches they are fully-grown and ready to pupate. The chrysalis they form is an elegant emerald green rimmed in a golden strand, and after 10 days the metamorphosis reaches completion as the butterfly emerges.
The success of this first round of South Texas eggs is a vital step for the monarch migration as it will be subsequent generations that make their way north for summer.
Butterflies born now will only live two to six weeks as they migrate laying eggs while they travel, as will the next generation, but the fourth generation will live much longer and eventually make the remarkable migration back to wintering grounds in Mexico.
The monarchs, living east of the Rocky Mountains are unique as they are the only known butterfly species to complete a round trip migration of approximately 3,000 miles, some traveling from Canada to Mexico.
However, monarchs are vanishing due to habitat loss, climate change, and herbicides and suffered a dramatic decrease of 59% in their 2023-2024 overwintering population.
You can help save the monarch by planting milkweed in your yard and enjoy hosting the king of butterflies.
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