Monarch Butterfly Exbibit

Monarch butterflies are the most beautiful of all butterflies ever created, it is said that they are considered the highest in the hierarchy of butterflies (the kings and queens), hence the name “monarch”. They are indeed the most beautiful of butterflies, not to be missed if one visits the Desert Botanical Gardens . . . The exhibit at Desert Botanical Garden have hundreds of beautiful monarch butterflies fluttering throughout a flower-filled pavilion towards the back of the gardens. The Monarch Butterfly Exhibit is presented each fall at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and is quite easy to locate. Once you have entered the Garden, the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion is easy to find, just follow the well displayed purple and yellow signs with “monarch butterfly exhibit” on it. This engaging experience features interpretive displays about the lifecycle, migration patterns, environmental threats, and conservation efforts of the monarch butterfly. All ages are allowed, children are particularly excited and for adults, you’ve never seen the butterflies this close and these many . . .
The Migration pattern of the monarch butterfly is conditioned upon weather: they are not able to survive in colder climates so in autumn, they migrate southwest to escape the cold. In the winter months, they go into hibernation in Mexico and Southern California where the weather remains warm throughout the year. Did you know that the monarch butterflies that live in North America migrate? Monarch butterflies are the only insect to migrate up to 2,500 miles to get out of the cold weather and hibernate. There are two reasons why the monarch butterfly migrates:
• To avoid the cold/ winter
• To get the larval food plants which only grow in warmer climate
The eating habits of the monarch are quite interesting: The larvae (caterpillars) of monarch butterflies for example eat only milkweed that is why it is also referred to as the ‘milkweed butterfly’. The milkweed holds all the nutrients, vitamins and growth components that the larvae needs to grow and develop into the beautiful butterflies. The monarch butterflies go through four generations each year? The first three generations hatch from their cocoon state (also known as the pupa or chrysalis state) and live for up to six weeks, but the fourth generation continues to live on for up to six or eight months so that they can migrate to a warmer climate, hibernate, and then start a new first generation in the spring time. The adult butterflies consume all sorts of different foods including nectar, water and even liquids from some of the fruits that human beings eat. If you are looking to attract monarch butterflies to your backyard, simply plant a few fruit-bearing trees along with plenty of flowers and you should definitely have yourself a back yard full of monarch butterflies. They are drawn to nectar and flowers.
It was interesting watching how the monarch butterfly consumed it’s food: it has small little straw like pipes coiled underneath it’s head and it uses this straw to suck nectar from plants. The straw like pipe is called the proboscis; it allows the monarch butterflies to feed strictly on liquids.

You can visit the exhibit for an additional $3 on top of the $15 adult fee for the Botanical gardens