Snacking is a drawing by Anne Barberi which was uploaded on October 1st, 2015.
Snacking
The monarch butterfly may be the most widely recognized of all American butterflies with its distinct orange, black, and white wings. While... more
by Anne Barberi
Title
Snacking
Artist
Anne Barberi
Medium
Drawing - Colored Pencils
Description
The monarch butterfly may be the most widely recognized of all American butterflies with its distinct orange, black, and white wings. While beautiful, this coloring actually sends a warning to predators that the monarch is foul tasting and poisonous. Found throughout the United States, as well as Mexico and Canada, one of the most notable characteristics about the monarch is the astonishing 3000 mile journey some will make in the fall to their wintering grounds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Mexico or to southern California, depending on which part of the United States or Canada they migrate.
In their larval stage monarch caterpillars feed almost exclusively on milkweed and as adults get their nutrients from the nectar of flowers. The monarch will always return to areas rich in milkweed to lay their eggs upon the plant. The milkweed they feed on as a caterpillar is actually a poisonous toxin and is stored in their bodies. This is what makes the monarch butterfly taste so terrible to predators.
This piece was done in colored pencils with Prismacolors on Stonehedge Bristol paper.
Uploaded
October 1st, 2015