We set one transect in a densely forested area and the other in a thinned area, and we recorded hourly temperatures from Jan 13 through Feb 5, 2006. By suspending temperature recorders at eight heights, from ground level up to 22m, we established two vertical transects in the forest. In this study we investigated the vertical dimension of the butterflies' use of the oyamel forest: we predicted that clusters form at the heights above ground that provide the greatest protection from freezing.
#Butterfly clusters code
Calvert, 9 Willow ZuchowskiġDepartment of Biology, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, Virginia 24595 email: of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York 13323ģDepartment of Biology, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, Virginia 24595ĤScience Systems and Applications, Inc., Biospheric Sciences Branch, Code 614.4, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD 20771ĥCentro de Investigaciones en Geografia Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro, 8701, CP 58190, Morelia, Michoacan, MexicoĦInstituto de Geografia, Facultad de Ciencias, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 04510, Coyoacan, Mexico D.F., MexicoħPosgrado en Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 04510, Coyoacan, Mexico D.F., MexicoĨCreekside Center for Earth Observations, 27 Bishop Lane, Menlo Park, CA 94025ĭuring winter, monarch butterflies form dense colonies in oyamel fir forests on high mountains in central Mexico, where the forest canopy serves both as a blanket, moderating temperature, and an umbrella, shielding the butterflies from rain. Some predators appear to be unaffected by the Wanderer Butterfly's poison and birds such as the Pied Currawong ( Strepera graculina) and the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike ( Coracina novaehollandiae) have been seen feeding on it.Lincoln P. However, this transition can extend to several weeks, during cool spring conditions. Their life cycle includes a transition from eggs to adults during warm summer temperatures in as little as 25 days. The poison from the plants is carried through the various stages of the Wanderer Butterfly's life cycle, making them unpalatable and causing many predators, including large birds, to be violently ill. The adult butterfly is also toxic to most predators. The caterpillars' bright colouration is a warning to these predators that they are potentially toxic. Some of these plants have become widespread environmental weeds and have allowed the butterfly to spread beyond urban centres (as seen in the distribution map). These plants have a milky sap, from which the caterpillars derive distasteful toxins that deter predators from eating them.
Wanderer Butterfly caterpillars are most often found on their preferred food plants (introduced food plants), which are from the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae).
#Butterfly clusters full
Succeeding generations extend the range across the country until the full summer range of the species is again occupied. The females are the first to leave, moving off to lay the first eggs of the new season on fresh spring growth. The clusters appear in about April and remain until about August or September, when the butterflies disperse after mating. Cluster sites are known in the Sydney Basin and Hunter Valley, as well in the Mt Lofty Ranges, near Adelaide. During the warmth of the day the butterflies fly around the trees, but with the afternoon drop in temperature they settle to reform clusters. The clusters are at first made up mainly of males. The same trees are used for this year after year. In cooler areas, these non-breeding adults may gather together and hang from the branches of trees in large clusters of thousands of butterflies. They remain in a non-breeding state throughout winter, some of them staying in the same district for several months. Further south, adults that develop in autumn do not breed immediately. For Wanderers near the coast north of the Richmond River in New South Wales, breeding can continue for most of the year with one generation following another. They take nectar from flowers to maintain their energy levels as they go.Īs winter approaches, the butterflies leave the inland areas as temperatures drop and migrate towards the coast. During this time they can move to unoccupied areas to find new plants on which to lay eggs. They are strong fliers and can cover long distances during their adult life, which is about a month to six weeks in summer. They have also been found in isolated parts of the Northern Territory. In summer, Wanderers are found throughout their range along the east coast of Australia from Queensland to South Australia, and in south-west Western Australia.
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