IREAD-3 NonFiction - #2A (10/2025)

The Monarch Butterfly

1 Monarch butterflies are some of the most beautiful insects in the world. Their wings are bright orange with black and white spots. These butterflies are not just pretty, though. Monarch butterflies have a very interesting life!

How Do Monarchs Grow?

2 Monarch butterflies start as tiny eggs. The mother butterfly lays the eggs on milkweed plants. After a few days, the eggs hatch into caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars are easy to spot. They have black, yellow, and white stripes.

3 Caterpillars love to eat! They eat only the leaves of the milkweed plant. A caterpillar will eat for about two weeks. It grows bigger and bigger every day. Once it’s done eating, the caterpillar will attach itself to a plant. It will hang upside down and form a chrysalis. This is like a little shell where the caterpillar will change.

4 Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. This change is called metamorphosis. It takes about two weeks for the caterpillar to become a butterfly. When the butterfly is ready, it breaks out of the chrysalis and spreads its wings.

Monarch Butterflies Travel Far

5 Monarch butterflies are famous for their long trips, called migrations. In the fall, monarchs fly south to warm places. Some travel all the way from Canada to Mexico! They fly thousands of miles to avoid the cold winter.

6 Monarchs use the sun and the wind to help guide them. It takes the butterflies about two months to finish the trip. They rest and drink from flowers along the way. In the spring, the butterflies fly back north to lay their eggs.

Monarch Butterfly Families

7 The life of a monarch butterfly is short. Adult butterflies live for only a few weeks. The butterflies that fly south in the fall live longer than the others. These butterflies live for about six months. They spend the winter in warmer places before starting their journey back north.

8 Monarch butterflies go through four generations every year. This means the great-grandchildren of the butterflies that flew south in the fall are the ones that return north in the spring. It’s amazing to think that the butterflies know where to go, even though they have never made the trip before!

Monarchs and People

9 People can help monarch butterflies by planting milkweed in their gardens. Monarchs need milkweed to survive. Without it, they have no place to lay their eggs or food for the caterpillars.

10 Many people love to watch monarchs fluttering around flowers. Schools and nature groups even tag monarch butterflies to track their long journeys. By helping monarchs, we can make sure these beautiful butterflies continue their amazing trips for many years to come.

The Wonders of Mountains

1 Mountains are some of the most amazing natural features on Earth. They can be found on every continent and come in all shapes and sizes. Some mountains are covered in snow all year long, while others are dry and rocky. Let’s explore how mountains are formed and why they are so important.

How Mountains Are Formed

2 Mountains are formed over millions of years. One way mountains are created is when two pieces of the Earth’s surface, called tectonic plates, push against each other. This pressure causes the ground to rise, slowly forming a mountain. Some mountains, like the Himalayas, are still growing as the plates keep pushing together.

3 Volcanoes can also create mountains. When a volcano erupts, hot lava flows out. Over time, the lava cools and hardens, forming layers that pile up into a mountain. These volcanic mountains can become very tall and sometimes have craters at the top where the volcano once erupted.

Why Mountains Matter

4 Mountains are important for many reasons. First, they provide homes for many animals and plants that can only live in cooler, higher places. Animals like mountain goats and eagles thrive in the rocky, high areas where other animals cannot survive. Plants that grow on mountains have adapted to the thin air and cooler temperatures.

5 Mountains are also an important source of fresh water. Many rivers start high up in the mountains and flow down to the valleys below. These rivers provide drinking water for people, animals, and plants. Some mountains are even covered in glaciers, which are slow-moving rivers of ice that store large amounts of water.

Mountains and People

6 Mountains are not only important for nature, but they are also a place for people to enjoy. Many people love to hike, climb, or ski on mountains. However, people must be careful not to harm the mountain environment. Littering and cutting down too many trees can hurt the plants and animals that live there.

7 Some mountains are special to certain cultures and religions. For example, Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, is considered holy by the people who live nearby. People from all over the world come to visit and climb these special mountains, respecting their beauty and importance.