Breeding Monarchs

Usually when Monarchs breed, you'd expect princes and princesses to be the result. In the butterfly world, it (if all goes well) results in more butterflies.

As adults, Monarch butterflies, aside from predator avoidance, have 2 primary goals: to drink nectar and to breed. This pair seems to be meeting both these goals. They are coupled together in the way they breed, and one of the butterflies appears to be drinking nectar too.

I've seen butterflies, including Monarchs, coupled together in flight. It sounds like the males and the females sometimes disagree on how long the breeding should occur, and one (generally the female) may try and get on with their lives by flying away. 

July 22, 2021 at Fairview Farm
Photo 148400010, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)




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