Attributes of Danaus plexippus

Monarch
Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Danainae
Identification: Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Wing Span: 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).
Life History: Adults warm up by basking dorsally (with their wings open and toward the sun). Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves; caterpillars eat leaves and flowers. Adults make massive migrations from August-October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. A few overwinter along the Gulf coast or south Atlantic coast. Along the way, Monarchs stop to feed on flower nectar and to roost together at night. At the Mexico wintering sites, butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. During the winter the butterflies may take moisture and flower nectar during warm days. Most have mated before they leave for the north in the spring, and females lay eggs along the way. Residents of tropical areas do not migrate but appear to make altitude changes during the dry season.
Flight: In North America during spring and summer there may be 1-3 broods in the north and 4-6 broods in the south. May breed all year in Florida, South Texas, and southeastern California.
Caterpillar Hosts: Milkweeds including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and showy milkweed (A. speciosa); and milkweed vine in the tropics. Most milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides which are stored in the bodies of both the caterpillar and adult. These poisons are distasteful and emetic to birds and other vertebrate predators. After tasting a Monarch, a predator might associate the bright warning colors of the adult or caterpillar with an unpleasant meal, and avoid Monarchs in the future.
Adult Food: Nectar from all milkweeds. Early in the season before milkweeds bloom, Monarchs visit a variety of flowers including dogbane, lilac, red clover, lantana, and thistles. In the fall adults visit composites including goldenrods, blazing stars, ironweed, and tickseed sunflower.
Habitat: Many open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides.
Range: Southern Canada south through all of the United States, Central America, and most of South America. Also present in Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.
Conservation: Overwintering sites in California and Mexico should be protected and conserved.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Develop conservation and management plans for all wintering sites, migration corridors, and principal breeding areas.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Danaus plexippus

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Danaus plexippus - Danaus_plexippusKsGrantSept24-08CarolAdams-crop.jpg

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Danaus plexippus - Danaus_plexippus6.jpg






The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
June 14, 2013 Ken42 East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States June 14, 2013 Details
August 04, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
August 22, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
August 26, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
September 05, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
September 13, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
September 27, 2012 mom2krb Erie County, New York, United States June 13, 2013 Details
June 11, 2013 MGMoss Dakota County, Minnesota, United States June 12, 2013 Details
May 25, 2013 painted lady Benton County, Arkansas, United States May 29, 2013 Details
May 25, 2013 Jeff Trahan St Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States May 27, 2013 Details
May 12, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 12, 2013 Details
May 01, 2013 TheButterflyEstates Lee County, Florida, United States May 09, 2013 Details
May 01, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 03, 2013 Details
September 18, 2011 Laurie Cogswell Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States April 30, 2013 Details
April 25, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States April 26, 2013 Details
April 16, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States April 16, 2013 Details
August 23, 2012 TiggersMomma Monroe County, Indiana, United States April 13, 2013 Details
August 16, 2011 catharinejo Jackson County, Kansas, United States April 05, 2013 Details
August 20, 2011 catharinejo Jackson County, Kansas, United States April 05, 2013 Details
May 01, 2012 tori70 Lincoln County, Kansas, United States April 05, 2013 Details
March 25, 2013 DanielLichtblau Los Angeles County, California, United States March 26, 2013 Details
March 24, 2013 DanielLichtblau Los Angeles County, California, United States March 25, 2013 Details
March 23, 2013 DanielLichtblau Los Angeles County, California, United States March 24, 2013 Details
October 09, 1971 stomlins701 Bexar County, Texas, United States March 14, 2013 Details
February 03, 2013 Englishman Hernando County, Florida, United States March 09, 2013 Details
February 16, 2013 PDunwiddie Los Angeles County, California, United States February 19, 2013 Details
November 02, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 29, 2013 Details
October 18, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 19, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 22, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 23, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
July 18, 2008 cheins Clearwater County, Minnesota, United States January 26, 2013 Details
January 15, 2013 Molmol Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States January 23, 2013 Details
December 05, 2012 whbauer Bexar County, Texas, United States January 12, 2013 Details
June 11, 2011 dpgbfly1 Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States January 06, 2013 Details
July 31, 2010 dpgbfly1 Carver County, Minnesota, United States January 06, 2013 Details
August 16, 2010 dpgbfly1 Anoka County, Minnesota, United States January 06, 2013 Details
May 09, 2012 LinRandolph Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States January 06, 2013 Details
October 29, 2012 whbauer Bexar County, Texas, United States January 04, 2013 Details
October 03, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 03, 2013 Details
October 04, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 03, 2013 Details
October 04, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 03, 2013 Details
October 01, 2011 MMM777 Texas, Travis County, United States January 01, 2013 Details
September 11, 2011 Debbie Taylor Pope County, Arkansas, United States December 30, 2012 Details
September 26, 2011 Debbie Taylor Pope County, Arkansas, United States December 30, 2012 Details
November 24, 2012 Maxintaft Texas, San Patricio County, United States December 27, 2012 Details
December 19, 2012 rsmart Los Angeles County, California, United States December 21, 2012 Details
November 08, 2012 bluetreekk Maui County, Hawaii, United States December 17, 2012 Details
December 08, 2012 John Saba Cochise County, Arizona, United States December 11, 2012 Details
September 02, 2012 John429 Wayne County, Michigan, United States December 10, 2012 Details