Monarch

Scientific name: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus)
(Lepidoptera: Danaidae)

Facts: The monarch is a very attractive reddish brown and black butterfly. Larvae of this butterfly develop a bad flavor from feeding on milkweed. The red and black color pattern is a warning coloration to predators indicating that the butterfly tastes bad. Monarchs migrate from north to south in the fall of the year. They overwinter in Mexico and the next generation migrates north in the springtime.

Photo credit: Mike Quinn