Monarch butterfly facts usually only talk about their appearance and their reproduction process but only a few address the fact that this species is rapidly declining.

With the current rate of urbanization and modernization, the monarch butterfly fact is that their loss could mean a devastating effect on the balance of the ecosystem as well as mankind.

If you don't know anything about this majestic creature, here's several amazing monarch butterfly facts you need to remember:

Monarch butterflies, fact number one, migrate to to warmer places if they happen to live in North America. They are the only known species of insect willing to migrate over 2,500 miles just to get away from the cold weather as well as to hibernate. However, only monarchs of fourth generation can migrate annually, mainly because the first three generations usually die after around six weeks after escaping their cocoons.

Monarch butterflies also go through four generations every year. The first three generations hatch from their pupa or cocoon state and live for up to six weeks. However, the fourth generation continues to live on for up to six or eight months so that they can fly to a place with warmer climate and hibernate before starting a new first generation in the spring time.

Female monarch butterflies lay several hundred eggs during their short life in the spring time and the larvae that hatches from the eggs require milkweed in order to live. However, the decreasing amount of available milkweed plants have been affecting the monarch butterfly population since the plants are now being cut down at a faster rate than they are being planted.

In order to differentiate between a male and female monarch butterfly, you need to took at its wings. Male monarch butterflies usually have a black spot on each of the hind wings over a vein whereas female monarch butterflies do not.

So what do you think of these monarch butterfly facts?