Monarch butterfly
Image: Victor Grigas (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Common NameMonarch butterfly
Scientific NameDanaus plexippus
FamilyNymphalidae
SubfamilyDanainae
Wingspan (mm)90
Wing Patternstriped
Primary Colorsorange, black, white
HabitatOpen fields, meadows, grasslands, roadsides, gardens, and forest edges, especially where milkweed is abundant.
Geographic RangeNorth and South America, with populations also in Australia, New Zealand, and some Pacific Islands.
Host Plantsmilkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Flight PeriodMarch to October in temperate regions, year-round in tropical areas.
Flight Stylegliding
Conservation Statusendangered
Lifecycle NotesMonarchs undergo complete metamorphosis, starting as eggs laid on milkweed, hatching into striped caterpillars that feed exclusively on milkweed, forming a jade-green chrysalis, and emerging as adult butterflies.
Identification TipsLook for the distinctive orange and black wing pattern with black veins and white spots on the black borders. Males have a small black spot (androconium) on a vein on each hindwing, which females lack.
Description
The Monarch butterfly is famous for its bright orange wings with black veins and a black border dotted with white spots. The underside of the hindwings is a paler orange with similar black veins and white spots.
