Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

 

The Monarch is perhaps the best-known and most beloved butterfly in North America. This striking orange and black butterfly is a familiar sight in gardens, parks, meadows, and open fields across the continent. What makes the Monarch truly remarkable is its legendary 3000-mile migration, one of the longest of any insect, which carries millions of butterflies from as far north as Canada to overwintering sites in central Mexico and coastal California.

Monarchs are large butterflies with no tails. Their vivid orange wings are laced with bold black veins and edged with a thick black border dotted with white spots. These same white spots also appear along the thorax and head. Males can be identified by a pair of distinct black scent glands, visible as small oval-shaped spots on the hind wings. Females lack these spots and have darker, thicker black veins.

This species has become an icon of pollinator conservation and a symbol of nature’s resilience and wonder.

 

Licensed under (CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication)

 

Monarch Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Satyrinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 3 3/8 – 4 7/8 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Many open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

  • Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis)

  • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

  • Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

  • Fewflower Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata)

  • Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)

  • Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis)

  • Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)

  • Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)

  • Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)

  • Redring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)

  • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

  • Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)

  • Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Monarch butterflies feed on nectar from the following native flowers:

  • Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) 

  • Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

  • Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)

  • Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.)

  • Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)

  • Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

  • Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

  • Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)

  • Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)

  • Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)

  • Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)