Species Insects & ArthropodsMonarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

CommonInsect & Arthropod
Illustration of Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

The Monarch is North America's most recognized butterfly, famous for its annual migration of up to 3,000 miles between Canadian breeding grounds and overwintering forests in Mexico. Milkweed is its sole larval host plant.

Habitat
Open fields, meadows, roadsides, and gardens with milkweed
Diet
Larvae: milkweed exclusively. Adults: nectar from a wide variety of flowers
How common
Common

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