Snetsinger Butterfly Garden
  • Home
  • Visit
  • Volunteer
  • Butterfly Directory
  • Birds of the SBG
  • Plant Directory
  • Activities
  • Support the Project
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Master Gardener Projects
SBG KS

Love is in the air

2/19/2023

0 Comments

 

Love Is in the Air
Valentine’s Day may have passed, but love is in the air at the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico! Observations from this most-visited winter home of monarch butterflies reveal an increase in mating activity since Feb. 12, according to a recent update by Monarch Watch.
​Rising temperatures and longer days cause an increase in flight in general, as butterflies seek moisture from areas of seeps and dew-covered grasses. In addition, mating  increases, and this early mating activity seems to be largely composed of smaller males and larger females. Why?

Scientists are still working on this puzzle, but their best theory to date can be summed up in one word: Hormones! Juvenile hormone (JH) is produced in a gland in the brain, and  leads to the development and maturation of reproductive tissues. Small males may simply produce more of this hormone early in the season. Or, all males may produce similar amounts, but JH activates sexual activity faster in the small males due to their smaller size. Larger females may be the target because they are less agile than their smaller sisters, and less able to avoid the amorous advances of their suitors.
Either way, it’s another reminder that spring is on the way. Start planning your milkweed patch now!
Read the entire February update here: https://monarchwatch.org/blog/#:~:text=Monarch%20Watch%20will%20once%20again,much%20of%20the%20monarch%20range.


Snetsinger Butterfly Garden Knowledge Series
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All
    Bugs
    Invasive Plants And Bugs
    Knowledge Series
    Seeds And Planning
    Sights And Sounds
    Spotted Lantern Fly

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly