cause that's what they do
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants. The milkweed plant is the only food source for monarch caterpillars, so this is where the female butterflies choose to lay their eggs.
I am growing Milkweed , and Monarch butterflies will only lay her eggs on them because monarch caterpillas can only eat this type of plant. :) I hope I helped everyone with this question :) Anymore question inbox me on facebook : Gustav V-Sloan
Milkweed is important to butterflies because it is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants, and the caterpillars feed on the leaves of milkweed as they grow and develop. Without milkweed, monarch butterflies would not be able to complete their life cycle.
Monarch butterflies will only lay their eggs on milkweed because it is their hostplant. A hostplant is the plant that the caterpillar will eat when it hatches from its egg. So, the monarch caterpillar will only eat milkweed, and the monarch butterfly will only lay its eggs on milkweed. The monarch depends in the milkweed, the milkweed does not depend on the monarch butterflies.
A monarch caterpillar will look for milk weed, once it finds one it will eat from it. That's how they get their poison. When they come out of their chrysalis they will fly around and every once in a while land on a milk eed and possibly spend a few minutes to a few hours on it. Monarch butterflies will eat milk weed too.
Monarch butterflies exclusively lay their eggs on milkweed because it is the only plant that provides the necessary nutrients for their larvae to thrive. Milkweed contains toxic compounds called cardenolides, which the caterpillars ingest and store, making them distasteful to predators. This specialized relationship ensures that the caterpillars have both food and a means of protection from potential threats. Additionally, milkweed is the primary host plant for monarchs, supporting their life cycle effectively.
What plants Monarch butterflies do not like is not all that important, though no specific plants that they do not like are known. The most important thing is that they not only like, but need specific kinds of milkweed for their survival. They lay their eggs on milkweed and the caterpillars feed on the plant.
Butterflies do not care for their young as other animals do. They lay eggs on plants that their offspring can eat and that is the end of their care. Blue Morpho butterflies lay eggs on several plants including the pea plant family the caterpillars prefer.
Thanks to Monsanto and their product Round Up, milkweed are a lot more rare than they used to be. Many garden clubs are planting milkweed to help keep the monarch butterflies who have caterpillars that only live on milkweed.
Monarch Butterflies especially like the following plants and flowers:Spider Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) - Butterflies lay their eggs on Milkweed and caterpillars eat only milkweed. Monarch butterflies need Milkweed to survive, but people treat it as a weed.Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)Siberian Wallflower (Erysimum x marshallii)May Night Salvia (Salvia x superba 'Mainacht')Native flowering plantsSome tips:Plant flowers that bloom at different times throughout the spring and summer so there will be continuous blooms.Do not use insecticidesProvide places, like flat stones, for the butterflies to rest in the sun.Provide a space for "puddling" and provide drinking water.For more information visit:http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Gardening-Tips/How-to-Attract-Butterflies-to-Your-Garden.aspxhttp://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Cater-to-Caterpillars-to-Help-Butterflies.aspx
The monarch butterfly must lay their eggs on milkweed plants (Asclepias ), and the swan plant is listed on wikipedia as a type of milkweed. Most plants in the milkweed family produce flowers which the monarch can feed on. The caterpillars of the monarch butterfly can only eat leaves from plants in the milkweed family and will die without this food source. The milkweed plant is known for it's white milky sap, which contains alkaloids, latex, and several other complex compounds including cardenolides. Some species are known to be toxic. The caterpillars are immune to the milkweed sap and actually make themselves poisonous by eating it. The butterfly retains the milkweed poison as a defense against predators. Both the monarch caterpillars and the monarch butterflies use bright color patterns as a warning that they are dangerous to eat.
No, the male flies do not lay eggs. Female flies are larger than male flies. The female flies lay over 900,000 eggs during their lifespan.