Monarch Butterflies (rarely visit England – it’s too cold!)
Monarch butterflies are a wonderful orange colour, a survival tool to warn predators, and known as having one of the longest migrations on earth (around 3000 miles from Canada to Mexico). They rely on milkweed for food, which thus makes them toxic to predators.
Some monarch butterflies fly up to 100 miles a day, but they winter in Mexico, as they like the sun, not British weather! Like all butterflies, they smell with their antennae and taste with their legs.
And like birds, use the sun’s position and the earth’s magnetic field, to navigate during their long journeys. Male monarchs are slightly larger, and have a black dot on each wing. This is the state insect in seven US states (including Texas, Alabama and Minnesota).
The Stunning Orange Colours of Nature
Orange is the colour that stands out in nature – you can’t ignore it! From autumn leaves to blazing sunsets, orange adds warmth to all palettes. But orange also has deep meaning for being. It combines the heat of red with the cheerful yellow, and can brighten the day from a flower to a leaf to a bird or creature.
Many flowers are orange from marigolds to tulips. Many are toxic to pets.
Not just Buddhist monks – animals are orange. Tigers of course use their stripes to blend into tall grass. Monarch butterflies spread their wings as a sign of beauty and survival.
Our close relatives orangutans have orange fur. And in the sea, clownfish use their striking orange-and-white strips to pop against dark coral reefs.
Of course sunsets and autumn blazes of colour from leaves losing their chlorophyll are the best-known oranges in nature. Even deserts bedazzle with their orange sands.
Orange occurs when sunlight interacts with objects, due to certain wavelengths between the colours red and yellow. When anthocyanin pigments mix with carotenoids (in carrots!), this results in orange hues. These don’t just look nice, but help plants with UV protection and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
