Monarch butterflies at Pismo Beach, California, USA
© Mimi Ditchie/Getty Image
What are these colorful insects?. Monarch butterflies at Pismo Beach, California, USA
Today we celebrate one of the most well-known species of butterflies—the monarch. Western Monarch Day is celebrated mainly in California and was made official by the California State Legislature in 2004. Monarch butterflies are about three to four inches in size, with two sets of wings, and a deep orange color with black borders and veins along with white spots on the edges. Monarchs travel from as far as Canada to escape the northern winter in the southern parts of the Pacific coast as a part of their seasonal migration.
The Monarch butterflies have lived on the Earth for a million years. Unfortunately, they are gradually heading toward extinction. Deforestation and climate change are some of the factors for this outcome. On this special day, let’s appreciate the beauty of these butterflies. and take the initiative to protect monarch butterflies from habitat loss by planting milkweed in your garden, their primary food source.
Common chameleon
Short-eared owl hunting in heavy snow
Monarch butterflies feeding from wildflowers
A pair of silver-studded blue butterflies
Elephant hawk-moth on foxglove flower
Two Old World swallowtail butterflies on a flower
Monarch butterflies in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Angangueo, Mexico
A Loepa oberthuri moth
