A monarch’s lifespan averages about four
weeks, but in the fall, before the southern
migration, the monarchs produce a new
set of eggs with compelling genetic
makeup, which are called the monarchs
“super generation.” This happens when
adult monarchs are partway through their
life cycle, but their reproduction is on
hold. These monarchs are different from
their parents, grandparents and even
great grandparents. Butterfl ies in this last
generation are members of the generation
that migrates south, often called the
monarch super generation.
The Monarch Metamorphosis
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, this monarch generation is built to
stand against time. Their lifespan is much
longer than the average because they do
not produce a certain hormone that stifl es
the aging process. To us, it would be as if a
certain pool of humans lived for 400 years.
This is the only generation that is able to
migrate to Mexico without having to pass
the baton. Their larger wingspan carries
them across the country just long enough
to reach a forest. The super generation
monarchs are each equipped with an
internal compass in their antennae that
navigate their southbound path. They
survive their multi-month journey and live
eight times longer than their parents and
grandparents.
For most of their life, the super generation
monarchs lack a juvenile hormone that
would normally age them, but it stunts
their reproductive ability until they make it
to the forests of central Mexico. Then, the
hormones level off and make the group
fertile enough to lay the next generation of
eggs to carry the species. From there, their
suspended reproduction creates a new
generation that will start their journey to the
North when spring arrives.
Photos courtesy of Michael Coons of
Elm St. Photography
There are many diseases and parasites
that stand in the way of a monarch
and other butterfl y species’ potential.
Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (a protozoan
parasite) affects around 70 percent of the
monarch population in Florida. Katrina is
afraid this parasite will continue to wreak
havoc on the species.
“OE is hard to prevent because the
butterfl y itself carries it,” she explained.
“Some people who raise monarchs know
how to test for it under a microscope.
You have no other option but to freeze
them, which euthanizes them. When they
develop in the chrysalis stage, sometimes
The monarch develops within
the green chrysalis, but as each
day passes, the casing becomes
more transparent. The butterfl y’s
markings become more
prevalent before it is ready to
escape its chrysalis.