Monarch Butterfly

insects · migration · pollinators

Famous wings. Monarchs have a bold black, orange, and white pattern, with wings stretching about 3.5 to 4 inches across.

Milkweed lovers. They belong to the milkweed butterfly group, and milkweed plants are a key part of their lives.

Sneaky lookalike. The viceroy butterfly copies the monarch's colors, but it's smaller and has an extra black stripe on each hindwing.

Great wanderer. One of their nicknames is 'wanderer,' fitting for a butterfly famous for traveling long distances.

Helpful visitor. Monarchs are iconic pollinators, though they're surprisingly not very good at pollinating the milkweed they love.