B.1.1_The Monarch

Geography/Science Reading 2 1 It’s fall, and millions of monarch butterfl ies are migrating to warmer climates for the winter—heading either to the California coast or to certain moun

Geography/Science

Reading 2

1 It’s fall, and millions of monarch butterfl ies are migrating

to warmer climates for the winter—heading either to the

California coast or to certain mountains in Mexico

2 Monarch butterfl ies know fall is here the same way that

we do; they feel the chill in the air While we adapt by

putting on a sweater, the situation is much more serious for the monarchs Temperatures below 55°F make it impossible

for them to fl y; temperatures below 40°F paralyze them The monarchs originated in the tropics and can’t live for long at

temperatures below freezing

chill a cold temperature, but not freezing paralyze not able to move

tropics a very hot region of the earth

The Monarch Migration

by Melanie Ann Appel

Analyze Cause-Effect

Relationships What

causes the butterfl ies

to be unable to fl y?

Reading

Strategy

3 At the same time that the air is cooling, the nectar supply

that feeds the butterfl ies is dwindling To survive, the insects

begin migrating in late summer, fl ying with the wind to

reach their winter homes

4 Up to 100 million monarch butterfl ies migrate either

to California or to Mexico each year (This isn’t the entire

population.) There are more than 25 winter roosting sites

in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains of Mexico In both

regions, butterfl ies depend upon trees for their survival

The insects cluster in pine and eucalyptus trees along the

California coast and in ovamel trees in Mexico

dwindling becoming smaller in number

roosting resting or sleeping

cluster bring or come into a tight grouping

Analyze Cause -Effect Relationships What are the causes of the monarch migration?

Reading Strategy

Reading Check ✓

1 Recall details

Where do the monarch butterfl ies

migrate to in the

fall?

2 Recall details

What helps the butterfl ies reach their winter homes?

3 Make inferences

How do the butterfl ies know it

is time to go on their journey?

Monarch butterfl y getting nectar from milkweed

Monarch butterfl ies clustered

in an ovamel tree

Monarch butterfl y getting nectar from milkweed

5 Wintering monarchs cluster together The end result

looks like massive clumps of feathery orange-and-black

grapes Each butterfl y hangs with its wings over the butterfl y

beneath it, creating a shingle effect that buffers the bugs

from the rain and creates warmth The weight of the cluster also prevents the butterfl ies from being blown away

6 Butterfl ies stay in their winter homes until about March,

when they begin a quick retreat to their summer homes, at

times traveling as fast as 30 miles per hour

massive huge clumps groups or masses shingle something that overlaps something else buffers protects or keeps safe

retreat a move back

Analyze Cause-Effect

Relationships The

butterfl ies cluster

together The cluster

has three effects

What are they?

Reading

Strategy

Monarch butterfl ies creating a shingle effect

Build Your

Knowledge

The information in a

reading is sometimes

presented in time, or

chronological order

Events are presented

in the order in which

they happened Look at

paragraphs 1 and 2 Which

season does the author

describe? Which seasons

does the author describe in

paragraphs 5 and 6? Is this

reading presented in time

order?