D Read the magazine article about the monarch butterfly’s migration and choose the best answer for each question.
The great butterfly race
We are all familiar with birds flying south for the winter, but did you know that butterflies also travel thousands of miles during the colder months? The story of the monarch butterfly is even more amazing than you might think.
In autumn, a generation of monarch butterflies sets off from Canada and the northern parts of the United States towards the California coast or the mountain forests in Mexico. These butterflies are really special because they live much longer than other generations—seven to nine months. They are able to complete the one-way journey using warm air currents and winds to help them along the way.
When they arrive at the overwintering sites, the butterflies stay close together in trees to keep warm and survive the winter. As the weather warms up in spring, the butterflies head back north.
Along the way, they lay eggs and die, passing the journey on to the next generation.
A new generation of butterflies is born and continues the journey. These butterflies will only live around two to six weeks as adults. They will travel as far as they can and then leave the journey to the next generation. This life cycle usually happens over three or four generations before the butterflies finally reach their summer homes in North America. Here, a new “super generation” will be born, ready to make the long journey south when autumn comes again.
The journey that monarch butterflies make is a true wonder of nature. No single butterfly completes the entire round trip, but each generation plays its part in one amazing journey.
1 Where can the monarch butterflies spend the winter?
a In Canada. b In Mexico. c In the northern US.
2 What is special about the monarch butterflies that head south?
a They travel as far as they can. b They can complete the whole round trip. c They can live seven to nine months.
3 What do monarch butterflies do to survive the winter?
a They travel south to find food. b They stay close together in trees. c They stay active by flying often.
4 What happens to the butterflies when they head north in spring?
a They lay eggs and die. b They live for another eight months. c They return to Canada.
5 What can we learn from the monarch butterfly’s long journey?
a Great journeys can be completed step by step. b Butterflies are stronger than birds. c Warm places are always safer than cold places.
