insect
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
CautionNot foodcommon
Orange migrant. Caterpillars on milkweed. Not food. A sign your pasture still works.
Orange butterfly with black veins and white-spotted borders. Caterpillar is banded black, white, and yellow with two pairs of filaments.
- Habitat
- Milkweed patches, fields, gardens.
- Season
- June–October; southbound roosts in September.
- Size
- 3–4 in wings
- Field marks
- Black veins; white border dots
Use
Leave the milkweed. A healthy monarch year means your fields weren’t sprayed to death.