Episode notes
It’s fall yall – time for Ellen and Christian to embark on a multi-generational odyssey with monarch butterflies. We discuss why butterflies are total heartstoppers and their style twins, real-life shinies, what’s going on inside a chrysalis, an annual journey that takes multiple generations to finish, how to best support wild monarch butterflies, and so much more.
Works Cited:
- “Danaus plexippus” – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- “Predator induced colour polymorphism in Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Hawaii” – John Stimson and Mark Berman, Heredity, March 1990
- “Comparative unpalatability of mimetic Viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus) from 4 South-Eastern United-States populations” – David B. Ritland, Oecologia, Jan 1995
- “What was learned?” – Monarch Watch, University of Kansas
- “The phenomenal monarch migration” – Mara Koenig, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- “An experimental displacement and over 50 years of tag-recoveries show that monarch butterflies are not true navigators” – Henrik Mouritsen et al., PNAS, April 2013
- “Joint Statement Regarding Captive Breeding and Releasing of Monarchs“
- “Is Captive Rearing Hurting Monarchs?” – Elizabeth Anne brown, National Wildlife Federation, March 2026
Links:
In this episode...
About the show
Just the Zoo of Us is an animal review podcast by Ellen & Christian Weatherford of Jacksonville, Florida. Every week, each host selects one animal submitted by a listener to research, review, and rate out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. Guest episodes feature experts from all over the world sharing their knowledge and insight into the animal world.
This podcast is made with families in mind and contains no profanity or graphic language. Due to the nature of discussion centered around wildlife and their behavior, some topics such as reproduction, predation and parasitism may not be appropriate for very young children, so parents are encouraged to use discretion when listening with their families.
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