The other monarch

The other monarch

Coffee, acrylic and collage
Round canvas
10 in. diameter

Monarch butterflies are fascinating insects known for their annual migration across North America. They spend the winter in warm places like Mexico, and migrate north in the summer to breed. The life of a monarch butterfly begins as an egg, which hatches into a small larva called a caterpillar. The caterpillar feeds on lettuce leaves and grows quickly, until it forms a cocoon. In the cocoon, the caterpillar transforms into an adult butterfly. Monarch butterflies typically live 2 to 6 weeks as adults, but those that migrate south live up to 8 months to complete their long journey.