Monarch (LEP113) Danaus plexippus This
is our best known North American butterfly, but it still holds many
mysteries. The bright orange Monarch
has black veins and borders, with white spots around the edges and
peach-colored patches in the black forewing tip area. Common milkweed is its host plant which
nourishes adults and larvae, and makes the Monarch poisonous to birds. Viceroys mimic Monarchs, so birds ignore
them as well. Monarchs breed all
across North America, but in autumn they migrate like birds. A large proportion fly to Mexico or to
California, where they spend the winter in huge clusters among the foliage of
trees. In springtime they return to
their breeding grounds in the North. |