It was remarkably battered, yet somehow flying, although not very well.
What a life it must have had. I was surprised that the wings were relatively intact, given the condition they were in, although there were a few tears and it seemed that almost 50% of the orange scales had rubbed away.
Adult monarchs live for anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. The females lay eggs and the males mate throughout most of this period. They get old and die, just as people do.
In many cases the females may still have eggs in their bodies when they die, so they don't always get a chance to lay all of their eggs.
(REF: Journey North)