Monarch Butterfly Bell
    Id #78 designed 1993

The Monarch butterfly is widely known for its migratory habits. In autumn, Monarchs fly southwest to over winterin the tropics of Mexico. There they can be found by the thousands resting on trees. In the spring, they return to northern United States and Canada to breed. They lay eggs on milkweed and related plants. The caterpillars feeding on bitter milkweed become distasteful to predators. In about a month they reach full size and form a chrysalis and transform into adult butterflies.
The season changes and the Monarchs fly to the tropics as did their ancestors.

The Monarch Bell depicts the life cycle of this beautiful creature. Eggs sit under leaves on the milkweed plant. An adult is perched on top and caterpillars crawl about. The bells’ clapper is the chrysalis. The Monarch is a common butterfly, but it is losing its winter habitat to the rapid deforestation of Mexico.