Monarch Wings Over Time

When spring arrives, monarchs that spent the winter in Mexico have been alive for 6-8 months. Their wings have changed dramatically. What do wings look like as they get older and what causes the changes?

When a monarch emerges from its chrysalis, it's born with vivid orange wings in pristine condition.

Wings that begin as fresh as a flower become dull, tattered, and torn over time. What happens?

Over the course of a butterfly's life, its wings can be scratched by thorns, bristles, branches, grasses or anything sharp it encounters.

Wings can be damaged by wind, hail, snow, or rain. This female's forewings were tattered in a storm. The wind may have tossed her around or she may have been struck by flying debris.

Sometimes the tears or scratches on a wing show evidence of a predator. The V-shaped scratch on this female's hind wing was likely made by the beak of a bird.

A butterfly may escape a spider's web but its wings may be damaged by the struggle. The sticky silk threads can remain clinging, too.

After many scrapes, scratches, nicks, and tears, a monarch no longer appears bright orange.

The surface of a monarch's wing is covered with thousands of tiny, flat, colorful scales. As the monarch loses these scales, it loses its color.

As the scales are scraped off, the clear, paper-thin wing underneath becomes visible.

The color and condition of a monarch's wings reveal its age. The young butterfly is vividly colored. The light-colored monarch is 7 months old and has lost most of its scales.

By April, monarchs of the overwintering generation from Mexico have only a few weeks to live. The worn-winged butterflies are no longer their brilliant orange.

By May, a new generation of monarchs emerges. On fresh wings, these butterflies will complete the spring migration.