They cannot regulate their own body temperature and if it gets too cold, it becomes difficult for them to fly and warm up their muscles in order to continue flying. Monarch butterflies can only fly effectively as long as the temperatures are between the range of 60- 108F. If it becomes too cold during the winters, they look for light-coloured rocks or leaves in a sunny area and bask. It is essential for these butterflies to rely on the heat absorbed from the sun, which is why they stretch out their wings in the sunlight. They bask with their wings fully spread out to efficiently soak up the sun’s heat. This allows them to raise their internal temperature higher than the temperature around them. This explains why most butterflies have dark coloured bodies as they are exposed to sunlight for the majority of the day. Their dark-coloured wings are an important adaption for survival as they help them warm up on cold
They cannot regulate their own body temperature and if it gets too cold, it becomes difficult for them to fly and warm up their muscles in order to continue flying. Monarch butterflies can only fly effectively as long as the temperatures are between the range of 60- 108F. If it becomes too cold during the winters, they look for light-coloured rocks or leaves in a sunny area and bask. It is essential for these butterflies to rely on the heat absorbed from the sun, which is why they stretch out their wings in the sunlight. They bask with their wings fully spread out to efficiently soak up the sun’s heat. This allows them to raise their internal temperature higher than the temperature around them. This explains why most butterflies have dark coloured bodies as they are exposed to sunlight for the majority of the day. Their dark-coloured wings are an important adaption for survival as they help them warm up on cold