I saw a really preety black and blue one this morning. But it was flying very close to the ground. It wasnt actting right. So I would like to know, do butterflies die after they lay their eggs?
This is from a website about Monarch butterflies but I would imagine it applies to other species also. Q. Do the butterflies die after they lay their eggs? A. No, they don't. Adult monarchs live for anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, and females lay eggs and males mate throughout most of this period. (Assuming that they aren't in the generation that migrates.) They die when they get "old," just like people do. In many cases, females still have eggs in their bodies when they die, so they don't always get a chance to lay all of their eggs.
In many cases, females still have eggs in their bodies when they die, so they don't always get a chance to lay all of their eggs. Oh that's horrible!! Poor butterflies!!
Poor little fellow. I doubt that they die because they get old though, maybe of their organs or whatever is only strong enough to last for a few weeks or maybe they are programmed by nature to die after a few weeks. But hey I'm no expert
Maybe she was just old. Or she was looking for a safe place to lay her eggs!!! Maybe Im glad she flew away! Im having enough trouble with things eatting my yard!! Its the same thing as last year! An all you can eat buffet!
Ants and spiders eat me alive. The skeeters I keep at bay with a peppermint oil/rubbing alcohol spray that works wonders.
Hmmmm I should try that! <shivers> I so scared of spiders, I dont stick around long enough for them to bite me!!!!! <shiver>
After seeing this thread the other day, I got my butterfly book out and did some reading. The number of eggs laid, differs between different species. Some lay their eggs and die 8 to 10 days later. Some hibernate through the winter and then come out in the spring. There is one species that lays over 700 eggs each year. But no matter how many eggs a butterfly lays, only about 2 make it to adulthood to create another generation. Some only eat specific types of plants. The Monarch will only eat leaves from the milkweed plant. And it will only lay it's eggs on a milkweed too. The Queen butterfly also utilizes the milkweed plant. My book only covered the ones found in the US, so I don't know about the ones in other parts of the world.
