Monarchs and mimicry

By PHIL NEEDHAM,
Conservation Agent
September is remembered for things like its brilliant blue skies, the arrival of fall with cool nights, and the start of migration for various animals. September should also be known as the month of the butterfly.
A common butterfly that has a fall migration is the monarch butterfly, and the migration comes to a peak about his time of year in Missouri. The best time to see monarchs is after a cool night and before the sun removes the dew from the grass. On a cool sunny morning monarchs can be found with their wings facing east to help dry them off. Once the dew is off, a day of flying southward begins.
Monarchs can be found in large flocks of hundreds, thousands, and on rare occasions even millions. Flocking behavior on overnight roosts is thought to provide some insulation from the cool temperatures and minimizes getting wet.
Monarchs are considered to. . .
Photos: The viceroy butterfly, left, mimics the larger monarch in order to avoid predation. Note the differences in the dots at the wing margins.
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