Adult Stage: The fully developed adult splits the pupal case open, crawls out and hangs upside down to facilitate stretching and drying its wings. Its wings are inflated by pumping fluid into the wing veins. At this stage, the wings are very soft and wet and the butterfly/moth must remain suspended while waiting up to two hours for its wings to dry. Once the wings are stretched and dried, the adult flies off to feed, find a mate and begin the cycle again. The average adult lifespan is two weeks but ranges from several days to as long as 11 months.
How to Identify a Monarch Butterfly
- wingspan about 5 inches , consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed purus nulla, convallis id sagittis at, molestie eget metus. Integer lectus dui, semper at rutrum vel, congue nec ligula. Fusce a commodo quam, sit amet dapibus erat. Aliquam eget pulvinar tortor, a malesuada erat. In mi nisi, tincidunt at leo at, tristique elementum risus. Sed ac congue lectus. Aenean euismod in nibh ut egestas. Morbi venenatis sit amet est ac consequat. Proin quis commodo mauris, sed scelerisque sapien.
- Orange and black with white speckling
- Have a hind wing behind their 4 main wings