Pacific Grove Monarch
Conservancy :: Mating Ceremony
I
n mid-Febuary (near Valentine's Day), the first milkweeds of Spring
break through the ground, awaking the hormones of the male Monarch
butterflies who have been in diapause throughout the winter. The male Monarch begins to create a sweet-smelling, musky perfume called pheromones which he stuffs into the "pockets" (two black dots) on the rear wings.
He then proceeds to chase the females in spirals up into the sky and zooms in front of the female he chooses as his mate, sprinkling her with his perfume. She is just dazzled and almost stops in mid-air, allowing him to grasp her with his feet. This, however, makes it impossible for either of them to fly, so they drift slowly to the ground. Here they proceed in what appears to be a wrestling match for 10 to 15 minutes, oblivious of their surroundings. Visitors to the Butterfy Grove gather to watch the mating spectacle and to cheer on the mating couple.
The female does not cooperate, so that it must be a healthy, virile male that overwhelms her, guaranteeing the best genetic chance for survival of the fittest. He tries to quiet her by stroking her face with his an
tennae
and
putting
his
head
down
next
to
hers,
appearing
to
whisper
sweet nothings in her ear. He then stands on his head and attempts to flip her over his body. If successful, their abdomens are the aligned properly so that they can "make the connection." The female becomes docile and folds her wings together. The male does a remarkable thing: he runs a few steps like a plane taking off, then lifts the female up under his body and begins to fly.
He carries his mate underneath him through the air to the tops of the trees where it will be the
warmest.
They
stay
together
for
many
hours,
during
which
time
he
creates
a
small pellet called a spermataphore contains lipids (their
energy source) which he passes along with the sperm into the body of
the female. When the sun comes up the following morning, the female flies away to find milkweed, laying up to 400 eggs.
(Photos courtesy Sally Herrgott)
