15+ Interesting Facts About Monarch Butterflies

The Monarch butterfly, also known as the milkweed butterfly, is the most-studied butterfly species. Monarch butterflies are native to North and South America but are currently only present in North America. It has spread to other places where milkweed grows, including Australia , New Zealand, Spain , and Portugal . Monarch butterflies in North America are the only insects in the world that migrate for around 3,000 miles twice a year . Millions of monarch butterflies travel from the Rocky Mountains to the Oyamel fir forest in central Mexico during the fall. The return trip starts in March. More than one generation of monarch butterflies completes this trip. ( Source ) Monarch butterflies were used for the first time on ISS (International Space Station) for experimental purposes in 2009. The breeding and growth process of these butterflies remained successful during this experiment. ( Source ) You can easily differentiate male monarchs from females through dots on their hind wing