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Monarch Butterfly
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
“Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the name of this photograph. These butterflies were numerous on a walk in woods.
Some interesting facts include:
The Monarch is a common poisonous butterfly that eats poisonous milkweed in its larval stage and lays its eggs on the milkweed plant. Monarchs have a wingspan of 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).
The Monarch is a poisonous butterfly. Animals that eat a Monarch get very sick and vomit (but generally do not die). These animals remember that this brightly-colored butterfly made them very sick and will avoid all Monarchs in the future.
The monarch gets its poison (cardenolide glycosides) when it is a caterpillar, from eating the poisonous milkweed plant (genus Asclepias) while in its larval (caterpillar) stage.
The Monarch is considered a beneficial insect because its caterpillar eats the noxious milkweed plant which invades some farms.
Monarch butterflies, like all butterflies, can only sip liquid food using a tube-like proboscis, which is a long, flexible "tongue." This proboscis uncoils to sip food, and coils up again into a spiral when not in use. Monarchs drink nectar from many flowers, including milkweed, dogbane, red clover, thistle, lantana, lilac, goldenrod, etc.
This photograph of cropped, level adjusted, and saved for the web. |
angybone has marked this note useful
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A lovely shot - nicely composed with rich color.
Good details and great lighting!
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Hello Jim,
your picture shows
- Vanessa atalanta (The Admiral)
- family: Nymphalidae
There are numerous pictures of both, V. atalanta and Danaus plexippus, on the TrekNature page.
Best wishes, Peter