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Fall migration is key to monarch survival
Scientists studying monarch butterflies traditionally focus on winter habitat loss in Mexico and fewer milkweed plants in the Midwest. But that misses a big part of the puzzle—the butterfly’s fall...
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Captive breeding makes monarchs that don’t fly south
Monarch butterflies bred in captivity don’t fly in a southward direction, and neither do their offspring, a new study shows. Wild-caught monarchs bred indoors under simulated outdoor conditions also...
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Monarch butterflies have heat-sensitive ‘timer’ for migration
Overwintering monarch butterflies rely on a temperature-sensitive internal timer to wake them up to make the trip back north, researchers report. The fact that millions of North American monarch...
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How vitamin A plays a role in monarch migration
New research links the monarch butterfly’s uncanny ability to sense the changes in day length to circadian clock genes and clock-regulated molecular pathways. Day length, or photoperiod, is an...
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Habitat care can save rare species from certain doom
Ongoing habitat management could help prevent hurricane-driven extinctions, according to a new study. A rare Florida plant, the pineland croton, weathered the damage from Hurricane Irma better in plots...
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Butterflies can pass acquired traits to the next generation
The inheritance of acquired traits occurs among butterflies, according to research on the bush brown butterfly. It was long thought that physical characteristics that organisms acquired during their...
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How butterfly wings get blacker than black
Researchers have figured out the mystery behind ultra-black butterfly wings. Some butterflies have ultra-black wings that rival the blackest materials made by humans, using wing scales that are only a...
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How insecticide could harm monarchs in added habitat
New research clarifies how to balance expanding habitat for monarch butterflies with potential insecticide exposure on agricultural land. Significant growth in the monarch butterfly population will...
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Team cracks butterfly wing color mystery
Some butterflies can create a rainbow of structural colors by merely tuning the thickness of their wing scale’s bottom layer (the lamina), which creates iridescent colors just like soap bubbles,...
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Monarchs from east and west fly differently, but still mate
Even though eastern and western monarch butterflies fly differently, they are genetically the same, a new study shows. Each year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate across eastern North America to...
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Blame milkweed loss for steep monarch declines
A loss of milkweed, and not increased death during migration, is the most likely cause for a steep decline in the monarch butterfly population in the last few decades, evidence in a new study suggests....
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How gross ‘chastity belts’ shape butterfly evolution
New research digs into the role sexual conflict between male and female plays in butterfly evolution. Some male butterflies go to extreme lengths to ensure their paternity—sealing their mate’s...
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Monarchs lay more eggs where milkweed isn’t alone
A new study suggests mixing milkweed with other flowering plants may help migrating monarch butterflies more than milkweed alone. As monarch butterflies make their transcontinental migration this month...
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Texas cold snap could be really bad for monarchs
The recent frigid weather in Texas and Mexico will likely hit the monarch butterfly population especially hard, a new study shows. Figures show a dramatic 50% decline in their numbers over the last...
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Birds may avoid fast, flashy butterflies and their mimics
Birds can learn to recognize fast and flashy butterflies they’ve failed to catch in the past—as well as similar-looking species—research finds. The research provides some of the strongest evidence to...
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1 western butterfly population has dropped 99.9% since the 1980s
Western butterfly populations are declining at an estimated rate of 1.6% per year, according to a new report. The report, published in Science, looks at more than 450 butterfly species, including the...
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Cabbage butterflies evolved tastes to keep up with plant defenses
Cabbage butterflies started trying to take over the planet millions of years before humans ever set foot on it, researchers report. Their new study uses statistical methods to trace the path of ancient...
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Butterflies inspire artificial colors for 3D printing
Researchers have created artificial colors by 3D printing certain nanostructures inspired by those of a butterfly. This principle can be used in the future to produce color screens. For their new...
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Butterfly eyespots reuse genetic code for legs, wings, and antennae
New research reveals that complex traits in butterflies, such as eyespots, evolve from gene networks already operating in the body to build antennae, legs, and even wings. Butterflies use eyespots, the...
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Ruthless parasite plagues monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies, one of the most iconic insects of North America, are increasingly plagued by a debilitating parasite, a new analysis shows. Researchers drew from 50 years of data on the infection...
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