Monarch butterflies with more white spots on their mostly orange-and-black wings are more successful at long-distance migration. Some scientists think the spots may affect airflow around their wings.

It’s hard to overlook the brilliant orange and black wings of a monarch butterfly as it moves through a garden of flowers. It ...

Poring through photographs of 400 monarch butterflies led to the discovery that the monarchs that survived the trip to Mexico tended to have more white spots on their wings. Credit... Davis et al ...

Researchers find that the white spots on the wings of monarch butterflies may help them fly farther. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on June 21, 2023.) Accessibility links ...

The big white spots seen on the wings of migratory monarch butterflies may have evolved to help them fly more efficiently on their long, hot journeys By Corryn Wetzel 21 June 2023 ...

“The trailing edge [of the monarch’s wing] is all black, and then you have the white spots,” Hassanalian explains. “White is cool air; black is hot air. So cool and hot, it will change the ...

How the monarch got its spots: Long-distance migration selects for larger white spots on monarch butterfly wings. PLOS ONE , 2023; 18 (6): e0286921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286921 Cite This Page : ...

Think of a monarch butterfly, and a distinctive image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with a sprinkling of white spots around the black edges.

Think of a monarch butterfly, and a distinctive image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with a sprinkling of white spots around the black edges. Those white spots may actually help monarchs complete ...

Monarch butterflies with more white spots on their mostly orange-and-black wings are more successful at long-distance migration. Some scientists think the spots may affect airflow around their wings.