Monarch
Danaus plexippusInformation and Photographs provided by
They are often seen visiting my annual milkweed plants. We see an increase in number of Monarchs during fall migration usually from October through December in my Austin, Texas location. Our most reliable nectar plant during this time has been Salvia leucantha. Many of the photographs seen on this page show Monarchs on this blue (purple) salvia. The annual milkweed is usually giving a second bloom during this time. I've seen the Monarchs at our beautyberry bushes. I can only suppose that they are sipping from overripe fruit.
Female Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on the underside of leaves of the milkweed plants. In the few weeks of the larval stage of their life cycle, Monarch caterpillars feed on milkweed. Milkweed is toxic and will leave a bad taste in the mouth of a predator. Some predators may vomit after trying to eat a milkweed butterfly. They usually do not die from the encounter but they will remember not to try to eat another Monarch butterfly.
Monarch
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Danaidae
Genus and species: Danaus plexippus
Two Monarch butterflies were struggling with each other and fell to the bottom of the milkweed. When only one flew away I went to check. A large frog had caught the other one. I took a photo of the butterfly in the mouth of the frog. You can barely see the edge of a wing. During the time I watched, the frog did not spit out the butterfly. Not all milkweeds contain as much toxin as others. Maybe this Monarch wasn't as distasteful as others.
Only once have I (almost) witnessed any sign of bird predation. I saw a Monarch come slowly spinning down into view of my computer window once. Upon investigation, we saw that the butterfly had been bitten in half. I can only assume a passing bird got a bitter surprise!
Other butterflies mimic the appearance of Monarchs hoping to convince a predator that they, too, are toxic and not a good meal choice.
Some Similar Butterflies: Viceroy and Queen.
How do you quickly tell the difference between these butterflies at a glance?
Monarchs have the largest wingspan of these butterflies. The Viceroy has a black line across the hind wings. The Queen (another milkweed butterfly) is darker above with fine white dots.
Egg
Caterpillar
Pupa
Butterfly
Depending on what time of year the butterfly emerges from the pupa, the lifespan of this butterfly varies widely.
Male Monarch butterflies can release pheromones to help subdue the female. This photograph shows enlarged "dots" on the dark veins of the hind wings. These are modified wing scales, sometimes called scent scales.
I have made available several computer desktop wallpaper images of migrating and mating Monarch butterflies. You are welcome to use them on your personal computer. All images on this web site are copyright protected and not to be used on other web sites. Students may use my images for school projects without asking permission.
Desktop Wallpaper - Single Monarch
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