Monarch butterflies' white spots may help them fly farther, scientists say

The white spots on a monarch butterfly's wings may help it migrate, according to a new study. (Pat Davis)

Think of a monarch butterfly, and a distinctive image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with a sprinkling of white spots around the black edges. Those white spots may actually help monarchs complete their long-distance migration by altering the air flow around their wings.

Or, at least, that's the provocative new claim from a team of researchers that has analyzed hundreds of monarch wings collected along its migration route.