Counting Monarchs: teacher key

Butterflies, grade 8 edition, written for 8th grade. Read about how monarchs defend themselves, how scientists estimate their numbers, and how they find their way.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. As of November 2026, a hectare of roosting monarchs holds an estimated 21 million butterflies. As of February 2024, monarchs covered 0.9 hectares in winter 2023-24. About how many butterflies?
   • About 2 million
   • About 19 million (answer)
   • About 190 million
2. As of November 2026, how many hectares did eastern monarchs cover in winter 2025-26?
   • 1.79 hectares
   • 0.9 hectares
   • 2.93 hectares (answer)
3. What do scientists measure to estimate the eastern monarch population?
   • The area of Mexican forest covered by roosting monarchs (answer)
   • The number of eggs on milkweed
   • The length of their flights
4. What does funnels mean in 'the shape of the land funnels them toward the shortest crossing of open water'?
   • Guides them into a narrow path (answer)
   • Hides them
   • Feeds them
5. Which butterfly copies the look of bad-tasting butterflies like the monarch and queen?
   • The Blue Morpho
   • The viceroy (answer)
   • The swallowtail

Words

• cardenolides: milkweed poisons
• hectares: land areas
• roosting: resting together
• funnels: guides in