Monarchs and Swallowtails
What are similarities and differences between butterflies?
Goal:
Goal:
Butterflies all go through the same life cycle, but they have many differences, too. Click on each tab to find out more about two kinds of butterflies.
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of
leaves of the milkweed plant. When the larva hatches, it
begins munching on the milkweed leaves. The milkweed
plant is poisonous to other animals, but the black-,
white-, and yellow-striped monarch caterpillars love it.
After about two weeks as a caterpillar, the larva hangs
upside down and becomes a pupa. It covers itself in a
thick, hard shell called a chrysalis. When the chrysalis
breaks, a bright orange monarch butterfly steps out. The
monarch butterfly flies to many different flowers
collecting nectar with its long, straw-like tongue. The
butterfly’s bright orange color is a warning to other
animals not to come too close. The poison milkweed that
it ate as a caterpillar makes the butterfly poisonous to
other animals.
Swallowtail butterflies begin as eggs and larvae, just like monarch butterflies do. Swallowtail larvae, or caterpillars, are covered in bright green and yellow stripes. They munch on all different types of leaves, getting very fat before they turn into a pupa. When a swallowtail breaks free from the chrysalis, it is a beautiful golden yellow and black butterfly with a long tail. Its long black tongue is like a tube that the butterfly pokes into flowers to find sweet nectar to eat.
Question
What is a DIFFERENCE between monarch butterflies and swallowtail butterflies?
Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves, and swallowtails eat all sorts of leaves. Monarch and swallowtail caterpillars and butterflies are different colors.