The Viceroy butterfly is best known for its remarkable resemblance to the Monarch, sharing the same orange brown wings with bold black veins. However, there are key differences to look for. The most reliable feature is a horizontal black line that cuts across the hindwings of the Viceroy, a line the Monarch does not have.

Viceroys are also slightly smaller and tend to have a more rapid and erratic flight pattern compared to the Monarch’s slower and more gliding flight. This mimicry helps protect the Viceroy from predators by resembling the unpalatable Monarch. Viceroys are found across much of North America, especially near wetlands, meadows, and woodland edges.

 

“Viceroy Butterfly” by Benny Mazur, licensed under (CC BY 2.0)

 

Viceroy Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Limenitidinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 2 1/2 – 3 3/8 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Moist open or shrubby areas such as lake and swamp edges, willow thickets, valley bottoms, wet meadows, and roadsides

 

🪴 Host Plants

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

• Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides)

• Poplars (Populus spp.)

• Willows (Salix spp.)

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Viceroy butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:

• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

• Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

• Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

• Vervain (Verbena spp.)