These butterflies fly thousands of miles every year!

Called the ‘Monarch Butterfly’, these butterflies stay awake for six months in the winter. (Photos: Miscellaneous websites)

Mexico: The butterfly in the picture is called the “Monarch Butterfly” and is found in the cold northern regions of the United States and Canada. This butterfly has amazed the world to this day.

It is the only species of butterfly that flies thousands of miles each year in the autumn to reach the forests of central Mexico.

There it sleeps continuously for about six months, and as soon as the spring season begins, it begins its return journey and, once again, flies thousands of miles back to where it started in autumn. I flew.

The wingspan of monarch butterflies is only 4 inches while they weigh as little as half a gram (0.5 grams). Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.

They fly about 4,500 kilometers from the northern regions of the United States and Canada to the jungles of central Mexico, while on the way back, they have to cover the same distance while flying continuously.

But the astonishment associated with monarch butterflies is not limited to this, but also something that has puzzled insect scientists. And that is their age.

Four species of monarch butterflies are born throughout the year. Three of these species live up to 6 weeks, but monarch butterflies born just before autumn live much longer and live for 8 to 9 months!

According to scientists, monarch butterflies, which are born a few days before autumn, have certain hormonal changes that cause them to temporarily lose their ability to reproduce as they age.

And then as the days and nights in September get the same length, that is, autumn begins, these butterflies begin to fly in groups and migrate to areas thousands of kilometers away in the far south. Are

Winters in the northern United States and Canada are unbearably cold, while forests in central Mexico are milder.

Therefore, in order to survive the extreme cold weather, monarch butterflies reach the forests of central Mexico thousands of miles away each year.

Once there, they find a safe haven where they sleep for the next six months, until the spring season arrives in March.

As spring approaches, the monarch butterflies wake up and begin to prepare to return.

In the month of March, as the length of day and night equalizes, they begin their return flight and once again fly thousands of kilometers to the place from where they started their journey at the beginning of autumn. … In the northern regions of the United States and Canada.

After landing here, monarch butterflies mate with females and males, the next generation is born and the previous generation dies.

Thus, the age of the next three generations of monarch butterflies is 6 weeks. However, the offspring that are born a few days before autumn are once again long-lived (surviving 8 to 9 months).

The cycle of life in monarch butterflies continues year after year, and all we know is what it is. But to this day we do not know with full confidence and detail why this happens.

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