Minnesota State ButterflyThe Minnesota State Butterfly is the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch is one of our Minnesota State Symbols. The Monarch is also called the milkweed butterfy because the milkweed is its favorite food. The Monarch was designated as the state butterfly in 1998.
We raised our five kids on a hobby farm in central Minnesota. Milkweed plants were abundant on the farm therefore Monarch butterflies were everywhere in summer.A favorite activity of our children was to "raise butterflies"...as if they needed any help. Here is how we did this:
 The Minnesota State Butterfly does what some other residents of the state do in winter. It heads south! While most species of butterfly live their lives in one location, the Monarch is famous for being a migrating butterfly. They are found as far north as Canada, yet migrate south to Mexico and Baja California. A Monarch butterfly lives about four weeks so, obviously they do not all make the trip south. Usually there are four cycles, or generations, of Monarchs that hatch during a Minnesota summer. Those who come last are the ones who migrate to a warmer climate. These butterflies fly at a height of up to 400 feet and for up to eighty miles a day to reach the mountains of Mexico. They then spend the winter in semi-hibernation. The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies  documents this amazing feat.
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