Monarch Butterfly

The iconic eastern monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) has a yearly, 3,000 mile (4800 km) multigenerational migration from Mexico to Canada and back again.  Along the way, the caterpillars eat only native milkweed plants, although the adult orange and black butterfly gather nectar on multiple flower species.  Decreasing butterfly numbers in recent years have lead to a movement to plant more milkweeds.

Monarch Look-Alikes

North American Butterflies

Moths

Caterpillars