Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Description:

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Female monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the androconium in the center of each hind wing. Males are also slightly larger than female monarchs. The male has a black patch of androconial scales on either hind wing (in some butterflies, these patches disperse pheromones, but are not known to do so in monarchs), and the black veins on its wing are narrower than the female’s. The male is also slightly larger.

Habitat:

The monarch can be found in a wide range of habitats, such as fields, meadows, prairie remnants, urban and suburban parks, gardens, trees, and roadsides. It overwinters in conifer groves.

Notes:

A backyard spotting.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

4 Comments

LaurieWinters
LaurieWinters 11 years ago

Thanks gatorfellows! Shame it didn't stop in Texas.

LaurieWinters
LaurieWinters 11 years ago

Thanks RiekoS!

gatorfellows
gatorfellows 11 years ago

wonderful photos :) one floated through yesterday in Texas, but did not stop

RiekoS
RiekoS 11 years ago

Beautiful pictures!

LaurieWinters
Spotted by
LaurieWinters

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Spotted on Dec 31, 2012
Submitted on Mar 21, 2013

Related Spottings

Danaus Southern monarch Plain tiger Monarch

Nearby Spottings

White-winged Dove Common Grackle Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team