The beautiful and serene monarch butterfly has a unique lifespan. But how long do monarch butterflies live, and what does their life cycle look like from start to finish?
Whether you’re a butterfly fanatic or just interested in nature, monarch butterflies are worth looking into.
In this article, we discuss the experiences of monarch butterflies, their average lifespan, and how unique their life cycle is when comparing different generations of monarch butterflies throughout the year.
How long do monarch butterflies live? let’s start:
How Long Do Monarch Butterflies Live?
What is the average lifespan of a monarch butterfly? Monarch butterflies typically live 5 weeks, 2-6 weeks in summer, and migratory monarchs live 6-9 months. The last monarchs born during the year are usually born in late August or September, and these are the ones who migrate.
While migrating monarch butterflies can live longer to reach warmer destinations and climates, that doesn’t necessarily mean they can.
Migrating monarch butterflies are more likely to be eaten or die by predators in flight.
However, if migratory monarch butterflies survive the perilous journey, they hibernate and overwinter in warmer locations. They will then restart the monarch life cycle, mating and laying eggs in early spring.
Monarch butterflies are special for this reason. They are one of the few migratory insects whose lifespan varies depending on when they are born during the year.
It is a miracle that the last generation of monarchs survived much longer than the first generation of monarchs born that year!
Curious about what the monarch butterfly went through from start to finish? Let us now understand their stages of life.
Average Lifespan of a Monarch Butterfly
When you see these beautiful large arthropods in flight, you’ll be able to answer the question “How long do monarch butterflies live?” They’re many more, and we’ve decided to cover them all here so you can feel like a true butterfly connoisseur.
No matter what time of year the monarch butterfly is born, all of these beauties go through the same process. From egg to caterpillar to chrysalis, this is how the monarch butterfly is born!
Egg
When you notice a female monarch butterfly on a milkweed plant, you’ll know her life cycle includes getting ready to lay her eggs. Milkweed is the only food source for monarch butterflies, and monarch butterflies do not lay their eggs on any other plants.
A female monarch butterfly can only lay one egg at a time. However, she can lay as many as 500-700 eggs in a few weeks. These eggs are very small, white and round. Monarch butterflies stay in their eggs for less than a week before hatching.
Caterpillar
Monarch butterfly caterpillars exist in this form for about two weeks. During these two weeks, the caterpillar undergoes multiple molts and rapid growth. The emperor caterpillar also eats its body weight of milkweed over and over again!
It takes time to grow from a few centimeters to a two-inch caterpillar. The monarch butterfly constantly grows its body, molts and sheds its skin 3-5 times in order to keep up with its changing body during the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.
Once large enough, the caterpillar finds a safe and quiet place to hatch its pupa. Until now, it will be showing more of its classic monarch butterfly colors. Caterpillars have distinctive stripes.
pupa
The caterpillars form small green pupae on leaves and plants so they can blend in. They exist in this protected form for about two weeks, much like their caterpillar stage.
You’ll know a monarch butterfly is about to break out of its cocoon when the color changes from bright green to dark brown.
The chrysalis of monarch butterflies is unique because they form golden dots on their exterior. Scientists have been baffled by this behavior, but some speculate that the dots aren’t decorations — they’re the butterfly’s way of getting oxygen in the chrysalis.
Butterfly
Adult monarch butterflies hatch with folded and damp wings. They will take some time to dry and get used to having wings. Once dry, female monarchs are ready to breed, though males will need more time to get used to — about a day or two.
Butterfly adults are characterized by their scale-covered wings. These scales give the butterfly its colorful wings. They are stained with melanin, which makes them appear different shades of black and brown, and uric acid, which makes them yellow, blue, green, and red. These iridescent colors are produced by the structural coloration produced by the microscopic structure of any hair or scale.
However, once male and female monarch butterflies are ready to mate, they mate. Monarchs can mate multiple times during their lifetime, resulting in more eggs and more generations of monarchs. Let’s see how some of these generations compare to each other – how long do monarch butterflies live?
Lifespan of first and last monarchs
The biggest factor affecting the longevity of monarch butterflies is not predation or weather, but the generation they are born in. The lifespan of the first generation of monarchs is much shorter than that of the last generation at the end of the year.
First monarchs are usually born in early spring, such as February or March. These butterflies are born in the northern United States after the previous year’s generation woke up and migrated back north.
These monarch butterflies lay eggs in spring and live an average of 2-5 weeks. The next generation is born, and the cycle repeats itself. A group of monarchs has about 3-5 generations a year, and the last generation has a heavy responsibility.
The last generation of monarchs of the year, usually born in late summer and early autumn, has important tasks. Like birds, they fly south for the winter. They will then overwinter and hibernate in the southern United States and Mexico.
This is why the last generation of monarchs lived so long. They spend most of their time flying and hibernating, waking up in the spring and flying north to start the life cycle anew.
No matter what generation, monarch butterflies lead impressive lives!
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
