Monarch
(Danaus plexippus)
ID points
Wings are orange, black, and white, measuring 3 1/2 to 4 inches across. Males have thinner veins along wit a black spot on each hindwing, which females lack. Like all butterflies, they undergo complete, four-stage, metamorphosis.
Habitat:
This species is found in open areas, frequently near water and often near milkweed plants.
Ecology and behavior:
Monarchs appear after the first hatch in the spring, increasing in number throughout the summer. Eggs are laid on milkweed plants, and caterpillars feed on their leaves. Their numbers peak in late summer and fall, when migrating groups may reach into the hundreds of individuals. Adults procure nectar from a variety of wildflower species.
North American individuals migrate south to California, Florida and into Central America. Other Monarch populations occur in South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Monarch populations in North America have declined drastically in recent decades, due to the loss of milkweed plants across the U.S and to habitat loss in their wintering grounds in Mexico.
Locations in Mammoth Cave NP:
Monarchs are occasional in Mammoth Cave National Park. They may sometimes be seen in the visitor center clearing, where milkweeds can often be found in the unmowed areas east of the bus loop. Look for them from late spring through late summer, with high numbers occasionally appearing in flight during fall migration in early October.
To learn more about Monarchs, click here.
Wings are orange, black, and white, measuring 3 1/2 to 4 inches across. Males have thinner veins along wit a black spot on each hindwing, which females lack. Like all butterflies, they undergo complete, four-stage, metamorphosis.
- Eggs are small white dots, found on the underside of milkweed leaves.
- Larva (caterpillars) have yellow, black, and white stripes. They feed on milkweed plants.
- Pupa is a green, hard-shelled chrysalis, which hangs beneath a leaf or other surface.
- Adult butterflies emerge 25 to 35 days following egg-laying, depending on temperature conditions.
Habitat:
This species is found in open areas, frequently near water and often near milkweed plants.
Ecology and behavior:
Monarchs appear after the first hatch in the spring, increasing in number throughout the summer. Eggs are laid on milkweed plants, and caterpillars feed on their leaves. Their numbers peak in late summer and fall, when migrating groups may reach into the hundreds of individuals. Adults procure nectar from a variety of wildflower species.
North American individuals migrate south to California, Florida and into Central America. Other Monarch populations occur in South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Monarch populations in North America have declined drastically in recent decades, due to the loss of milkweed plants across the U.S and to habitat loss in their wintering grounds in Mexico.
Locations in Mammoth Cave NP:
Monarchs are occasional in Mammoth Cave National Park. They may sometimes be seen in the visitor center clearing, where milkweeds can often be found in the unmowed areas east of the bus loop. Look for them from late spring through late summer, with high numbers occasionally appearing in flight during fall migration in early October.
To learn more about Monarchs, click here.
